On June 27, 2006, a Cessna 150G (registration N3366J) was involved in an aviation accident near Indianapolis, IN. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot intentionally leaving the airplane unoccupied during the engine start and the failure of the tail tie-down, which ultimately resulted in the unoccupied airplane becoming airborne. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An unoccupied airplane inadvertently became airborne and crashed after the pilot's hand-propping attempt led to a tail tie-down failure. The pilot reported using a webbed cargo strap to secure the tail, which failed when the engine started.
Accident Details
The unoccupied airplane inadvertently became airborne and crashed shortly after the pilot hand-propped the engine. The aircraft traveled about one mile from the ramp area before crashing.
Pilot Actions
The pilot reported that he attempted to hand-prop the engine because the aircraft's battery had insufficient charge to use the electric starter. He stated that he tied the tail down with an automotive-style, webbed cargo strap. After successfully starting the engine, the tail tie-down failed as he repositioned himself to enter the cabin. The pilot said he reached through the window and tried to pull the mixture out but could not reach it. He hung onto the aircraft as it began to accelerate forward and believes he moved the throttle more open before having to let go due to the increasing ground speed.
Aftermath
The unoccupied airplane eventually became airborne and crashed about one mile from the ramp area. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had used wheel chocks, utilized another tie-down on the tail, or had a person at the aircraft's controls during the hand-start.