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.
Lauren Scruggs may have suffered devastating injuries during a horrific propeller accident over the weekend, but her parents said she has the indomitable spirit to endure a long and painful recovery.
At 9:30 p.m. Saturday, the 23-year-old model and editor landed at Aero Country Airport, about 30 miles from Dallas, after flying with a pilot friend to view the Christmas Lights in the area.
While moving in darkness toward the front of the plane after landing, Scruggs walked into the still-moving propeller. It struck her left side, severing her left hand, fracturing her skull, causing a brain injury and breaking her left collarbone. She also suffered extensive damage to her left eye, which she could still possibly lose.
Lauren's parents, Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs, appeared on TODAY Tuesday to discuss her daughter’s recovery and the outpouring of support since the near-fatal accident. The part-time model and editor of LoLo Magazine is currently resting in intensive care at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. She was able to speak recently for the first time, telling her mother and sister, “I love you.’’
“She is just a fighter, and she will fight through this,’’ Cheryl Scruggs told Ann Curry. “She will make it through, and she will use it for good. She’s going to have a tough time when she finds out…everything that’s happened, and losing her left hand is really a tough thing, but she’ll fight.’’
“It’s been a really horrendous two days, but we do see some bright signs ahead, and we just thank all those who have been praying for us,’’ her father said. “We’re grateful.’’
Doctors may be able to save Scruggs’s badly damaged left eye, her parents said.
“It’s going to be several weeks before they know for sure what is going to happen with the eye,’’ said Jeff Scruggs. “They operated on her two days ago just on the eye for over six hours, which we saw as a good thing, and we’re just praying that she comes through with that. The original prognosis was that she was going to lose the eye, so that was a blessing, so we’re grateful to God for that.’’
Lauren already showed her parents some of that fighting spirit by trying to communicate with them a mere two days after the accident.
“Just seeing her just trying to open her right eye a tiny bit, and then move her lips and she said “Hi,’’ that just brought us to our knees,’’ her mother said through tears.
Rather than see the accident as a tragedy, her parents said it's a blessing that their daughter was not killed by the propeller. They are also thankful for the team of doctors — who said Lauren is lucky to be alive — that have assisted her in her recovery.
“This is a miracle,’’ Jeff told NBC News.
The plane had landed to pick up another passenger, and her parents believe Lauren was walking toward the front of the plane to thank the pilot, a friend of hers, when she collided with the moving propeller. The pilot could not be reached by NBC for comment, but Scruggs’s parents believe it was an accident and not negligence on the pilot’s part. An expert feels that the pilot should have done more to avoid the incident.
“The pilot is responsible for the care and oversight of not only the people who are flying as passengers, but anybody that may be a pedestrian around the airplane,’’ Greg Feith, a former National Transportation Safety Board investigator, told NBC News.
Doctors have told the Scruggs family Lauren's return will be long and arduous. But they are optimistic. Before the accident, Lauren was in excellent physical shape, Jeff noted.
“Lauren is a go-getter, and she has always been a go-getter,’’ her mother said. “The doctors are so pleased right now because her progress has just been phenomenal. They can’t even really believe that that’s going on.’’
“She is a strong girl,’’ her father said. “She is going to fight.’’
Prayers have poured in from all over the country in emails and via the website CaringBridge.org, where her progress is regularly updated. Since Lauren will need numerous additional surgeries, according to doctors, her parents have also set up the Lauren Scruggs Hope Fund as a way to raise money to help pay for her medical bills.
“She’s just going to need a lot of care for a long time,’’ her father said. “More than anything, we just covet your prayers, especially for the next couple weeks.’’
The editor of a Dallas-area online fashion magazine has been severely hurt after walking into the propeller of a small airplane following a flight to view Christmas lights.
A spokeswoman at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas says 23-year-old Lauren Scruggs of Plano was in serious condition Monday. She's editor of LoLo Magazine.
The Federal Aviation Administration says the accident happened Saturday night at a private airport in McKinney.
Family spokeswoman Janee Harrell says Scruggs had just gotten off the private plane after a trip to see holiday lights. Harrell told The Associated Press that Scruggs lost her left hand in the accident, plus suffered head, brain and shoulder injuries.
A Dallas-area model and editor lost her left hand and fractured her skull after she walked into the propeller of a small airplane following a flight to view Christmas lights over the weekend.
Lauren Scruggs, 23, of Plano was in serious condition Monday at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas after the incident Saturday night. Scruggs, a fashion model, founded and edits LoLo Magazine.
Scruggs landed at Aero Country Airport in the McKinney area, about 30 miles from Dallas, about 9:30 p.m. Saturday after viewing North Texas Christmas lights from a small private airplane, The Dallas Morning News reported. The pilot wasn't hurt.
A family friend, Janeé Harrell, said Scruggs was struck on the left side of her body.
"Following multiple surgeries, Lauren has received facial and shoulder reconstruction, as well as the loss of her hand," Harrell said in a statement on a website set up by Scruggs' family and friends.
Scruggs is responding to voice commands and is able to move her legs and arms, according to an update posted on the site Monday morning.
A Dallas-area model and editor lost her left hand and fractured her skull after she walked into the propeller of a small airplane following a flight to view Christmas lights over the weekend.
Lauren Scruggs, 23, of Plano was in serious condition Monday at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas after the incident Saturday night. Scruggs, a fashion model, founded and edits LoLo Magazine.
Scruggs landed at Aero Country Airport in the McKinney area, about 30 miles from Dallas, about 9:30 p.m. Saturday after viewing North Texas Christmas lights from a small private airplane, The Dallas Morning News reported. The pilot wasn't hurt.
A family friend, Janeé Harrell, said Scruggs was struck on the left side of her body.
"Following multiple surgeries, Lauren has received facial and shoulder reconstruction, as well as the loss of her hand," Harrell said in a statement on a website set up by Scruggs' family and friends.
Scruggs is responding to voice commands and is able to move her legs and arms, according to an update posted on the site Monday morning.
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