What happened
On May 7, 1997, at 09:30, a Socata MS 892 A 150, registration F-BPQM, was involved in an incident at Arras aerodrome during a local flight. Due to a starter failure, the pilot attempted to start the engine manually by hand-propping the propeller. During the initial attempt, the engine sputtered and stalled. The pilot then applied additional fuel and increased the power setting before attempting a second start.
Upon the second attempt, the engine ignited at a high RPM. This sudden surge of power caused the aircraft to move forward unexpectedly. The pilot narrowly avoided the propeller, but the aircraft continued across the runway and traveled approximately one kilometer through a field before coming to a stop against an embankment. The aircraft sustained slight damage during the event.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanics of the aircraft's movement during the manual starting procedure. Investigators examined the aircraft's braking system and found that while the parking brake was engaged, the left wheel remained free to rotate. Furthermore, it was established that the aircraft's wheels had not been chocked during the engine start attempts.