Incident Overview
The pilot was adjusting the airplane's propeller by hand when the engine unexpectedly started. The pilotless aircraft then taxied across the ramp and struck a parked airplane. This occurred after several unsuccessful attempts to start the engine using the electric starter.
Sequence of Events
Following multiple failed electric start attempts, the pilot examined the engine and manually adjusted the propeller. During a subsequent hand adjustment, the engine started. The pilot had left the brakes off, the magnetos on, and the throttle advanced. When the engine began running, the pilot backed away, and the airplane moved forward. The pilot attempted to stop the movement by grabbing the right wing strut, but was unsuccessful. The airplane continued forward, eventually impacting its nose into the right front side of another parked airplane.
Checklist Considerations
According to the airplane's pilot operating manual, the before starting checklist instructs the pilot to set the brakes. The starting checklist requires cracking the throttle open 1/2 to 1 inch. The shutdown checklist specifies that the mixture should be set to idle-cut off and the magnetos turned off. At the time of the incident, these procedures had not been followed.