Accident Details
On December 3, 2011, about 2050 central daylight time, a passenger of a parked Aviat Aircraft Inc. Husky A-1C, registration N62WY, came into contact with its rotating propeller after exiting the airplane on the ramp of Aero Country Airport (T31) in McKinney, Texas. The airplane was registered to Shell Aviation, LLC, McKinney, Texas, and was being flown by a private pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The passenger sustained serious injuries; the pilot, the only other person on board, was not injured. The flight had originated from T31 and had just returned from a local area flight to view holiday lights.
Witness Account
A witness who was part of the group at the airport that night reported that he and the pilot pushed the airplane out of the hangar around 2030 in preparation for the flight. Weather was VFR with ceilings around 3,500 feet and good visibility. Several minutes after the pilot started the airplane, the witness walked the first passenger to the aircraft, specifically mentioning the propeller and cautioning her to be careful. He helped her enter the aircraft and fasten her seat belt. Once she was situated in the rear seat, he walked away from the aircraft and back into the hangar. The airplane then took off to view holiday lights. After 10–15 minutes, he saw the airplane taxi back onto the ramp and park facing north. After a brief discussion with another person in the hangar, he saw the shadow of the passenger exiting the airplane. He began walking toward the aircraft and noticed the passenger walking toward the front of the aircraft. He yelled for her to stop, and a second later she hit the propeller from the rear and fell to the ground. He saw the pilot immediately shut down the engine and then call emergency services.
Pilot Account
According to the pilot’s written statement, after landing from the planned 20-minute flight, he stopped the airplane on the ramp with the engine running, expecting to take another passenger to view the holiday lights. He opened the door on the right side of the airplane, anticipating that a friend would come out to assist the passenger in deplaning. After he opened the door, the passenger started to get out of the airplane. Noticing she was exiting in front of the strut, the pilot leaned out of his seat and placed his right hand and arm in front of her to divert her away from the front of the airplane and the propeller. He kept his arm extended and told the passenger to walk behind the airplane. Once he saw the passenger was at least beyond where the strut was attached to the wing and walking away, he dropped his right arm and returned to his normal seat position. He then looked to the left side of the airplane and opened his window to ask who was next to go for a ride. The pilot then heard someone yell “stop,” immediately shut down the engine, and saw the passenger lying in front of the airplane.
Post-Accident Response
The NTSB did not travel to the scene; an FAA inspector responded. Upon arrival, the airplane had been hangared, the scene cleaned up, and the injured passenger taken to the hospital. Local law enforcement and emergency medical personnel had processed the scene before the FAA inspector arrived. Both the FAA inspector’s observations and the law enforcement report are included in the supporting docket.
Advisory Circular
FAA Advisory Circular 91-42D, "Hazards of Rotating Propeller and Helicopter Rotor Blade," outlines safety considerations for pilots and passengers of aircraft with turning propellers or rotors. The AC is advisory and not mandatory. It states that a propeller under power, even at slow idling speed, has sufficient force to inflict fatal injuries. It cautions that the engine "should be shut down before boarding or deplaning passengers" and that "when it is necessary to discharge a passenger from an aircraft on which an engine is running, never stop the aircraft with the propeller in the path of the passenger’s route from the aircraft." The Advisory Circular is included in the supporting docket.