On December 25, 1990, a Cessna 205 (registration N8219Z) operated by Deterding, James L. was involved in an aviation accident near Medford, OK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE PILOT'S USE OF IMPROPER STARTING PROCEDURES WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE AIRPLANE'S ENCOUNTER WITH ROUGH TERRAIN DURING THE UNMANNED TAXI. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot with a dead battery instructed a passenger to manipulate engine controls while hand-propping the engine. The engine started at full throttle, and the passenger blocked the pilot's entry, causing the airplane to roll across a runway, through a fence, ditch, and road before nosing over.
Incident Overview
During an attempted engine start, the pilot discovered that the airplane's battery was dead. Unable to start the engine electrically, the pilot directed a non-rated passenger to manipulate the engine controls. The pilot then proceeded to hand-prop the engine.
Sequence of Events
The engine started at full throttle. As the airplane began to move, the passenger attempted to exit the airplane, blocking the pilot from boarding. No wheel chocks were used during the start. The airplane rolled across a runway, through the airport boundary fence, through a ditch, and across a road before coming to rest in an open field. During the roll, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over.
Conclusion
The investigation did not state any probable cause for the incident.