My Plane Almost Became an Insurance Claim

On 10 Aug 2003 10:10:48 -0700, (Craig) wrote:
And then there was the one down in the Detroit area where some one
hand propped to get started which it did...and promptly taxied right
into some one's just finished G-III, or lancair IV. I forget which.

Then we had one at our airport where a guy was taxying back to the
hanger leaning the engine he said to keep it cool. OK, so he had a
different physics professor....

It quit. He pushed the mixture back in, got out and propped it
(without retarding the throttle). Said plane decided to leave without
him...He caught the strut, but tripped and stuck his nose in the dirt.
The plane continued on, took off and ended up in the trees at the SW
corner of the airport..

It looked kinda forlorn hangin there.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)

We had an incident like this when I was in tech school in '79. Fairly
new C-172 with an instructor and a passenger. I think the passenger
was an FAA guy or rep, but can't remember. Aircraft was started like
normal and began a very slow taxi. The instructor added a little power
as they needed to do a 180 and go up our slightly inclined main ramp.
Just as he added power, the seat broke completely off the tracks. He
went over backwards, throttle full in and yoke full back and then bent
downward. Passenger got tangled up with his flailing about and ended
up bailing out. The a/c hit the big refueler that was parked about
200 feet away. Spinner went into the side of it right between the tank
and the cab. The only thing that saved the field from having a big
problem was the mechanics had just dumped the entire 2000 or so
gallons of avgas to change a fitting out on the tank bottom that was
leaking. Did a few hundred bucks damage to the tanker, but totaled
the 172.

Craig C.