Incident Details
On October 2, 2009, at 1716 Pacific daylight time, N31KT, a Cessna 421B, rolled backwards into a parked car at the Hearst Castle Airstrip in San Simeon, California. The empennage sustained substantial damage. Western Air Charter operated the airplane under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. The airline transport pilot and five passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the pilot had requested and received flight following.
Flight History
The pilot departed from Santa Monica Municipal Airport at 1600 and was at the destination when the accident occurred. After landing, the pilot shut down the engines and secured the airplane. Although the checklist called for setting the parking brake, the pilot elected not to use it because several chocks were available on the ramp and no movement of the airplane was observed. The pilot walked back to open the passenger door when the airplane began rolling backwards and impacted the windshield of a parked car.
Contributing Circumstances
The parking area appeared level to the pilot, but later analysis indicated there was a gradual slope that allowed the airplane to roll. No other factors were reported.