Incident Description
A pilot was unable to start the airplane engine normally. In response, he attempted to hand-prop start the engine. Two non-pilot passengers observed the pilot as he turned the propeller through three to four times on one side, then moved to the other side. The passengers stopped watching for a moment, and when they looked back, the pilot was on the ground. He had been struck in the head by the propeller.
Witness Accounts
The two passengers reported that they watched the pilot manually rotate the propeller several times on one side before he went to the opposite side. They lost sight of him briefly, and upon returning their attention, found him on the ground. The pilot sustained a head strike from the propeller.
Aftermath
No further details about the pilot's condition or the aircraft were provided in the source.