Incident Details
The pilot had pulled the airplane out of an unheated hangar on a chilly morning. He used the propeller to rotate the engine several times before setting the parking brake and starting the engine with the starter. The engine then stopped. The battery was unable to turn the engine over again, so the pilot decided to hand-prop the engine. He primed it, left the parking brake on, set the throttle to idle, turned on the master switch and magneto switches, and spun the propeller. The engine started but quit. He started it again by hand-propping. He advanced the throttle to keep it running, but the engine quit again. He applied carburetor heat without reducing the throttle setting. He hand-propped the engine once more, and it went to a high rpm setting. The airplane then began moving forward.
Pilot Injury
The pilot reached into the cockpit to try to retard the throttle but was unsuccessful. He fell, hitting his face on the landing gear footstep. This fractured his right cheekbone and caused deep lacerations above his right eye.
Aircraft Damage
The airplane continued moving until it collided with a hangar. Both wings sustained substantial damage.