What happened
On February 11, 1962, an Aero-Commander 500-A, registration OE-FLY, arrived at Zurich-Kloten airport from Vienna. Following customs and passport formalities, the pilot attempted to taxi the aircraft to the LIMESS maintenance facility via a connecting taxiway.
As the aircraft approached the entrance to the facility, the pilot encountered a narrow passage created by a parked aircraft on the left and a tree on the right. To assess whether there was sufficient clearance to pass, the pilot brought the aircraft to a halt. While the aircraft was stationary, the engines remained running at approximately 800 rpm in idle mode.
The passenger exited the aircraft through the rear left door to inspect the clearance. She walked around the tail and moved toward the right wing to tap on the cabin window. In doing so, she moved behind the right engine and entered the propeller arc. The rotating propeller first struck her handbag, which pulled her further into the path of the blades, resulting in multiple severe injuries caused by several propeller strikes.
The investigation
The investigation was initiated by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation's accident investigation office. Investigators arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, which occurred at approximately 17:20 local time. The inquiry examined the aircraft's condition, the environmental factors at the LIMESS facility, and the sequence of movements made by the passenger.
Findings
- The aircraft was in an airworthy condition and properly registered.
- The engines were left running at idle speed while the aircraft was stopped.
- The passenger approached the propeller from the rear, moving against the propeller's slipstream.
- The primary cause of the accident was the passenger's inadvertent approach too close to the rotating propeller.
- The passenger's handbag acted as the initial point of contact, which subsequently pulled her body into the arc of the blades.