What happened
On 25 June 2006, a Van's RV-6A, registration G-RVSH, was parked and secured with tie-downs at Blackbushe Airport in Surrey. Upon arriving to fly the aircraft, the pilot discovered the battery was depleted. To rectify this, the pilot drove a Land Rover onto the airfield and positioned it to the right of the aircraft.
To initiate a start, the pilot removed the battery from the vehicle and used jump leads to connect the vehicle's battery to the aircraft battery, which is located inside the cockpit. The engine was successfully started; however, during the process of removing the jump leads, the pilot's forehead made contact with the leads. This movement coincided with the throttle being left open, which caused the engine to surge. This surge resulted in the breakage of the left-hand tie-down strap. Because the right-hand tie-down remained intact, the aircraft swung toward the right, striking the parked Land Rover.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of events surrounding the engine start and the physical state of the aircraft's moorings. It was established that the aircraft's engine was running at a high power setting when the tie-down failed. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's actions regarding the battery connection and the physical movement that occurred while disconnecting the leads.
Findings
- The aircraft engine was running with an open throttle during the jump-start procedure.
- The sudden surge in power caused the left tie-down to break.
- The remaining right tie-down prevented the aircraft from moving straight, causing a lateral swing into the vehicle.
- The pilot's attention was diverted by physical contact with the jump leads during removal.