What happened
On August 27, 2010, at approximately 12:26 EDT, a flight instructor was conducting an instrument instruction flight in a Piper PA-28-161, registration N9184Y, at Beverly Municipal Airport (BVY) in Massachusetts. The aircraft was being operated by Beverly Flight Center Incorporated.
At the time of the accident, the aircraft was positioned in the run-up area near the departure end of runway 34. Nearby, a PiperSport aircraft was experiencing difficulty closing and locking its canopy. The flight instructor in the N9184Y observed the situation and decided to exit his aircraft to assist the other pilots.
As the instructor exited the airplane while the engine was still running, he either jumped or stumbled from the leading edge of the right wing and came into contact with the moving propeller. The instructor sustained 1 fatal injury. The aircraft sustained minor damage, including one propeller blade that was bent forward.
The investigation
An FAA inspector examined the aircraft and found that the propeller blade had been bent approximately 10 degrees at the 3/4 span position.
Investigators reviewed the aircraft's design, noting that the cabin door was hinged at the front and equipped with a door holder that prevented the door from swinging forward. This configuration effectively blocked an occupant from moving forward toward the wing edge rather than aft toward the designated walkway. The aircraft also featured an aftermarket secondary door stop mounted on the upper leading edge of the right wing. This stop showed signs of compression buckling and was bent forward and to the right, suggesting the instructor may have tripped on the component.
Interviews with company personnel revealed that the instructor had a history of jumping off the front of the wing when securing aircraft for the night, rather than using the proper walkway to reach the propeller area.