Cessna 172 N6749A

Summary

On 3 April 2012 at about 15:20 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N6749A, operated by Valley Vista Flyers Inc, was involved in an accident near Johnson Valley, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 April 2012 at 15:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Johnson Valley, California, United States

Nearest airport

Valley Vista Airport (6CA5)

Coordinates

34.3372, -116.5797

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N6749A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Valley Vista Flyers Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Johnson Valley → Johnson Valley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12CA153

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot did not properly secure the airplane prior to rotating the propeller by hand, resulting in inadvertent movement of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

An acquaintance of the pilot had expressed an interest in learning to fly the pilot’s newly purchased airplane, and the pilot agreed to provide a demonstration/introductory flight. The acquaintance had no prior flight experience. On the morning of the planned flight, the pilot discovered that the airplane’s battery was dead and decided to start the engine by turning the propeller (hand-prop). He instructed the passenger, seated in the left seat, how to operate the brakes and throttle. The engine was hand-propped and started successfully by the pilot, but the airplane began to move forward. The pilot was unable to board the airplane, and the passenger was unable to control or stop the airplane or shut down the engine. An eyewitness reported that the engine rpm increased and the airplane accelerated as it traversed the airport. The airplane crossed a runway and struck a ground-mounted solar panel array located about 200 feet away. The airplane sustained damage to the propeller, engine mount, firewall, windscreen, wings, and nose landing gear. Four solar panels were also damaged. The passenger stated that due to inexperience, he was unable to properly operate the brakes, but he could not recall whether he attempted to manipulate the throttle during the event.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.