Incident Overview
On May 18, 2013, at about 1750 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N (registration N4702F) operated by a private individual experienced an accident at Southerland Strip Airport (FD92) in Geneva, Florida. The airplane was not damaged, and the private pilot was not injured. A passenger sustained serious injuries after contacting the turning propeller. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight, which had originated from FD92 approximately 10 minutes earlier.
Preflight and Briefing Procedures
According to the pilot, before any flights, he briefed each passenger as a group on where to stand on the ground prior to boarding and to wait until told what to do before boarding. He also provided briefings when passengers boarded and before they exited. The exit instructions included advising each passenger to exit the airplane to the rear and to tell the next waiting passenger to board from the right rear. After each flight, the pilot kept the engine running.
Sequence of Events
The pilot had flown two passengers uneventfully before the third passenger boarded from the rear for a 10-minute flight. He briefed her upon entering, then departed for a local flight. After landing, he taxied to a spot on the field and, with the engine running, advised her to exit to the rear but to inform the waiting passenger that the person would be unable to go due to weight issues. The passenger exited, closed the door, and instead of walking to the rear as instructed, rounded the right wing lift strut and walked forward. The pilot yelled for her to stop, but she contacted the propeller with her arm. He then secured the engine, and the injured passenger received medical attention before being transported to a hospital for treatment of her injury.
Passenger Reports
Two passengers previously flown by the pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector-in-charge that the pilot had briefed them to enter and exit the aircraft at all times from the right rear and that they should never be near or in front of the airplane while the engine was operating.