On April 5, 1982, a Beech 95 (registration N2765Y) operated by Abc Flight Service, Inc was involved in an aviation accident near Pontiac, MI. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot, attempting to start a cold engine, experienced a backfire and primer fire. A passenger who moved to the other side was struck by the propeller when the pilot moved throttles to idle cut-off.
Background
During nighttime conditions with an ambient temperature of approximately 20 degrees, a pilot and two passengers arrived at an aircraft. The pilot had already started the right engine before the passengers' arrival, but the left engine failed to start due to the cold temperature.
Sequence of Events
While the pilot was recharging the batteries, the passengers arrived and boarded the aircraft. However, they subsequently deplaned and positioned themselves on opposite sides of the aircraft to observe as the pilot attempted another engine start. During this attempt, the left engine backfired, resulting in a primer fire. Shortly thereafter, the passenger who had been observing from the left side moved to the right side. As the pilot moved both throttles to the idle cut-off position, this passenger was struck by the aircraft's propeller.