On February 27, 1986, a Beech C23 (registration N5150M) operated by Continental Industries, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Elkhart, IN. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The engine starting unexpectedly during hand-propping due to the magneto switch being left on and fuel priming by a passenger, which led to the aircraft moving into a structure. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A Cessna aircraft was destroyed after its engine unexpectedly restarted while a pilot was hand-propping the propeller, causing the plane to taxi into a hangar wall.
What happened
The pilot attempted to start the aircraft engine but was unable to initiate ignition. Consequently, the pilot exited the cockpit to manually rotate the propeller by hand. During this process, the magneto switch remained in the "both" position. While the pilot was pulling the propeller through, a passenger primed the engine fuel system. This action caused the engine to start unexpectedly while the pilot was holding the propeller.
The pilot attempted to stop the aircraft by holding onto the wing, but was unable to prevent movement. The aircraft began to taxi forward uncontrollably and collided with a hangar wall, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft.
Probable cause
The engine starting unexpectedly during hand-propping due to the magneto switch being left on and fuel priming by a passenger, which led to the aircraft moving into a structure.