Alon A2 N5687F

Summary

On 4 February 2012 at about 21:00 local time, a Alon A2 registered N5687F, operated by Robinson David E, was involved in an accident near Forks, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 February 2012 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Forks, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Forks Airport (S18)

Coordinates

47.9378, -124.3928

Aircraft

Alon A2

Registration

N5687F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Robinson David E

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Forks → Friday Harbor

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12CA095

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's incorrect placement of the throttle prior to starting the airplane by hand. Contributing to the accident was that the pilot did not ensure that the airplane was restrained in a manner that would keep it from moving forward.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot planned on starting his airplane by turning the propeller by hand, because the airplane’s battery was dead. After loading his passenger, he set the throttle and the parking brake, but he elected not to tie down the airplane or place chocks in front of its wheels. When he pulled the propeller through, the engine started immediately as he intended. However, he had placed the throttle in a position that resulted in a higher rpm than he expected. Due to the high rpm, the parking brake was unable to hold the airplane in position, and it started rolling forward with only the passenger inside. The pilot attempted to reenter the airplane, but he was unable to do so. Although the passenger was able to steer the airplane along the taxiway, she did not know how to stop it, and it eventually went through a fence and over an embankment. During the accident sequence, the fuselage and the wings were substantially damaged. According to the pilot, there were no malfunctions or anomalies with the parking brake system or the throttle mechanism.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.