NTSB Identification: CEN12LA125
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, December 03, 2011 in McKinney, TX
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/30/2013
Aircraft: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1C-180, registration: N62WY
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
After returning from a short night flight, the airplane was parked on a ramp in front of a hangar to deplane the passenger and take another person on a flight. The engine was at idle power and the propeller was turning. The pilot stated that he leaned across the airplane and opened the right door so the passenger could exit. When he saw that she was exiting toward the front of the airplane, he put his arm out and told her to walk toward the rear after exiting. Once the pilot saw that the passenger was clear of the wing strut and walking away, he lowered his arm. A witness who was walking from the hangar toward the airplane saw that the passenger was walking toward the front of the aircraft. He yelled for her to stop, and a second later she hit the propeller from the rear and fell to the ground. He noticed that the pilot immediately shut the engine down and then called emergency services. FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 91-42D, "Hazards of Rotating Propeller and Helicopter Rotor Blade,” states that a propeller under power, even at slow idling speed, has sufficient force to inflict injuries. It cautions that the engine “should be shut down before boarding or deplaning passengers.” It further states that “when it is necessary to discharge a passenger from an aircraft on which an engine is running, never stop the aircraft with the propeller in the path of the passenger’s route from the aircraft.”
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The passenger's inadvertent contact with a rotating propeller after exiting the parked airplane. Contributing to the accident were the dark night conditions and the deplaning of the passenger while the propeller was turning.
On December 3, 2011, about 2050 central daylight time, a passenger of a parked Aviat Aircraft Inc., Husky A-1C, N62WY, came into its rotating propeller after exiting the airplane on the ramp of the Aero Country Airport (T31), McKinney, Texas. The airplane was registered to Shell Aviation, LLC, McKinney, Texas, and was being flown by a private pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Dark night visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The passenger was seriously injured and the pilot, who was the only other person remaining on board, was not injured. The flight had originated from T31 and had just returned from flying in the local area to view holiday lights.
A witness who was with the group of people who were at the airport to fly in the airplane that night reported that he and the pilot pushed the airplane out of the hanger approximately 2030 in preparation for the flight. He stated that the weather was VFR with ceilings around 3500 ft and good visibility. Several minutes after the pilot had started the airplane, he walked the first passenger to the aircraft, made specific mention to her of the propeller and to be careful, then helped her enter the aircraft and fasten her seat belts. Once she was situated in the rear seat he walked away from the aircraft and back into the hanger. The airplane then took off to view the holiday lights. After 10-15 minutes passed, he saw the airplane taxi back onto the ramp and park facing toward the north. After a brief discussion with another person in the hangar, he saw the shadow of the passenger exiting the airplane. He then began walking toward the aircraft and noticed that the passenger was walking toward the front of the aircraft. He yelled for her to "STOP", and a second later she hit the propeller from the rear and fell to the ground. He noticed that the pilot immediately shut the engine down and then called emergency services.
According to the pilot (as he recalled the event in a written statement), after landing from the planned 20-minute flight, he stopped the airplane on the ramp with the engine running in anticipation of taking another passenger to view the holiday lights. He opened the door on the right side of the airplane expecting a friend to come out and assist his passenger in deplaning. After he opened the door, the passenger started to get out of the airplane. Upon noticing that she was exiting in front of the strut, the pilot leaned out of his seat and placed his right hand and arm in front of her to divert her away from the front of the airplane and the propeller. He continued to keep his arm extended and told the passenger that she should walk behind the airplane. Once he saw that the passenger was at least beyond where the strut was attached to the wing, and walking away, he dropped his right arm and returned to his normal seat position. The pilot then looked to the left side of the airplane and opened his window to ask who was next to go for a ride. The pilot then heard someone yell, "STOP," and he immediately shut down the engine and saw the passenger lying in front of the airplane.
The NTSB did not travel to the scene of the accident, however, after notification of the event, an FAA inspector responded to the accident scene. He reported that when he arrived, the airplane was hangared, the scene cleaned up, and the injured passenger had been taken to the hospital. Local law enforcement and emergency medical personnel had processed the scene prior to the arrival of the FAA inspector. Both the FAA inspector's statement of his observations and the law enforcement report of the event are included in the supporting docket for this report.
FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 91-42D "Hazards of Rotating Propeller and Helicopter Rotor Blade,” outlines safety considerations for pilots and passengers of aircraft with turning propellers or rotors. The AC is advisory in nature and not mandatory guidance. In part, the circular states that a propeller under power, even at slow idling speed, has sufficient force to inflict fatal injuries. On page 4 of the circular, it cautions that the engine “should be shut down before boarding or deplaning passengers”...”when it is necessary to discharge a passenger from an aircraft on which an engine is running, never stop the aircraft with the propeller in the path of the passenger’s route from the aircraft.” The Advisory Circular is included in the supporting docket for this report.
NTSB Identification: CEN12LA125
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, December 03, 2011 in McKinney, TX
Aircraft: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1C-180, registration: N62WY
Injuries: 1 Serious.
This
is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.
Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has
been completed.
On
December 3, 2011, about 2050 central daylight time, a passenger of a
parked Aviat Aircraft Inc., Husky A-1C, N62WY, contacted its rotating
propeller after exiting the airplane on the ramp of the Aero Country
Airport (T31), McKinney, Texas. The airplane was registered to Shell
Aviation, LLC, McKinney, Texas, and was being flown by a private pilot
under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the
accident. The passenger was seriously injured and the pilot, who was
the only other person remaining on board, was not injured. The flight
had originated from T31 and had just returned from flying in the local
area to view holiday lights from the air.
According
to the pilot (as he recalls the event), after landing from the planned
20-minute flight, he stopped the airplane on the ramp with the engine
running in anticipation of taking another passenger to view the holiday
lights. He opened the door on the right side of the airplane expecting a
friend to come out and assist his passenger in deplaning. After he
opened the door, the passenger started to get out of the airplane. Upon
noticing that she was exiting in front of the strut, the pilot leaned
out of his seat and placed his right hand and arm in front of her to
divert her away from the front of the airplane and the propeller. He
continued to keep his arm extended and told the passenger that she
should walk behind the airplane. Once he saw that the passenger was at
least beyond where the strut was attached to the wing, and walking away,
he dropped his right arm and returned to his normal seat position. The
pilot then looked to the left side of the airplane and opened his window
to ask who was next to go for a ride.
The
pilot then heard someone yell, "STOP STOP," and he immediately shut
down the engine and saw the passenger lying in front of the airplane.
DALLAS - Another North Texas woman says she wants to reach out to Lauren Scruggs, the 23-year-old fashion writer who sustained serious injuries after walking into a propeller over the weekend.
Paige Harrison said she can help Scruggs because she was in a similar accident in 2009.
She had just graduated high school and was celebrating with her family on a skydiving trip at Caddo Mills Airport. She didn’t jump, but she took a ride in the plane and watched others.
“It was so amazing to watch people just jump out of a plane,” she said.
When it was over, Harrison said she got out of the plane and started walking toward the propeller.
“I couldn’t see it. It just looked like air,” she said. “It just felt like a 500 pound football player knocking me to the ground.”
The blade caught Harrison’s left shoulder and spun her around. It also left a 5-inch gash on the left side of her chest, just inches from her heart.
“It basically severed and just completely demolished my whole shoulder. The only thing that kept my shoulder on was skin and some ligaments,” she said. “I didn’t have any pain because it severed all my nerves.”
Fifteen surgeries and several infections later, Harrison now has a new shoulder. But she still has scars and she can’t raise her left arm on her own.
“I was like I got to go see her. I almost went through the exact same thing... For a whole year I was so sad, so depressed. I couldn’t do anything, school or work,” she said. “I just want to be there to give her some type of hope because I’m doing okay now. You can pick back up and you can do better.”
Read more on myFOXdfw.com: http://www.myfoxdfw.com
Lauren Scruggs Tragedy: Propeller Accident Victim Takes First Steps
Lauren Scruggs' recovery from losing her left hand and damaging her face after walking into the propeller of a small plane is progressing quickly, so much so that she's walking with the help of a physical therapist.
The model and fashion blogger walked down a hall on Wednesday at the Dallas hospital where she is being treated, according to her family. Halfway through her first walk since she was struck by the propeller Saturday night, Scruggs said the number 30. When her parents and twin sister asked what she meant, the 23-year-old said "steps." She had been counting the whole time.
Scruggs had just landed with a girlfriend after viewing Christmas lights from above in a small prop plane piloted by a family friend. Peter Wasserman and Luke Dixon are the two paramedics who responded to treat her after the accident that severed her hand and sliced the left side of her face and shoulder when she walked into the propeller.
"I could hear her as soon as I got out of the ambulance, so I was thinking maybe not that bad. ... I mean, hey, she's awake," Wasserman said. "Then we got over there and saw the extent of her injuries. It was one of those things that kind of just takes your breath away."
The veteran paramedics say they have never seen injuries like Scruggs'. They said that as they lifted her into the medical helicopter, they didn't have much hope.
"We knew her airway was OK, she was talking to us, answering our questions," Dixon said. "So it went to immediately to controlling her bleeding. That was our number one priority in trying to stabilize her."
.
.
Wasserman said that he began to pray for Scruggs as soon as he saw the extent of the damage the accident had caused.
"We honestly didn't expect her to survive," he said. "The extent of her injuries, the lacerations she had to the her head, the skull fracture. … We thought for sure there would be significant brain damage. I was praying as soon as I got there."
Wasserman is one of many who believe that prayers for Scruggs, whose parents, Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs, say that she is a deeply religious person, have been answered.
"We're praying she'll regain her sight," Jeff Scruggs said. "What she'd tell you is her relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in her life. Even though she cannot talk I know, she's relying on Jesus right now."
Doctors treating Scruggs at Dallas' Parkland Hospital caution that the young woman is still at risk for infection, might still lose her left eye, and will almost certainly not have her model good looks again.
For her family, however, and the men who helped save her, that she's talking and now walking is nothing short of miraculous. Dixon said he is paying attention to Scruggs' recovery.
"A lot of times you don't find out what happens to your patients," he said. "In this instance, with such a significant injury, it's nice to know she's doing considerably better."
http://abcnews.go.com
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 62WY Make/Model: HUSK Description: A-1 HUSKY
Date: 12/03/2011 Time: 0310
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Serious Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: MCKINNEY State: TX Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT WHILE PARKED WITH ENGINE RUNNING, PASSENGER EXITED AIRCRAFT AND
WAS STRUCK BY THE PROP, MCKINNEY, TX
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 1 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Standing Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: DALLAS, TX (SW05) Entry date: 12/05/2011
