What happened
The incident occurred when an aircraft traveled forward and collided with a parked aircraft. The collision was the result of the pilot attempting to start the engine by hand-proping the propeller. At the time, the pilot reported that the battery charge was insufficient to crank the engine normally, leading to the decision to manually rotate the propeller.
A passenger, described by the pilot as having only a few hours of flight experience, was seated inside the cockpit to hold down the foot brake pedals in an effort to keep the aircraft stationary. However, the aircraft was not secured with chocks or tiedown ropes during this procedure. As the engine started, the force overcame the brakes, and the aircraft moved forward into the parked plane.
The investigation
Examination of the event revealed that the primary mechanical failure was not in the aircraft systems but in the ground handling procedures. The lack of physical restraints such as chocks or ropes allowed uncontrolled movement once engine power was applied.