What happened
On 7 March 2010, a Bucker BU133 Jungmeister, registration G-BVXJ, was prepared for its fourth flight of the day at Breighton Airfield, Yorkshire. The aircraft, a vintage single-seat biplane, lacks an electric starter and requires the propeller to be manually swung to initiate the engine start.
Prior to this flight, the engine had been difficult to start, necessitating multiple swings during previous sorties earlier that day. For this final flight, the aircraft was parked on level tarmac with the brakes engaged. The pilot remained in the cockpit while the aircraft's owner stood in front of the engine to perform the start sequence. Following standard hand signals and verbal commands, the owner primed the engine and positioned the propeller blades for starting.
Upon the pilot switching on the magnetos and confirming the throttle setting, the owner swung the propeller. The engine ignited unexpectedly on the very first attempt. As the owner was still following through with his left hand, the descending propeller blade struck his hand, resulting in two severed fingers.