Undetermined · NTSB WPR11LA416
LUSCOMBE 8 — Lincoln, CA
| Date | August 18, 2011 |
| Location | Lincoln, CA |
| Aircraft | LUSCOMBE 8 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Standing-engine(s) start-up Miscellaneous/other |
| Pilot age | 72 |
| Pilot total time | 550 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 20 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
The passenger's accidental fall while turning the propeller by hand to start the engine.
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Passenger - C
What happened
According to the pilot, the passenger was turning the propeller by hand to start the engine (hand-propping) when the engine “kicked back.” The passenger lost his balance, slipped, and fell to the pavement, striking his head. The pilot stated that after the fall the passenger said that he felt fine and that, en route to their destination, the passenger talked as he normally did. The pilot learned that, two days after the passenger suffered the fall, his wife had him admitted to the local hospital and that, the following day, the passenger had succumbed to what the local medical examiner described as a subdural hematoma as a result of an accidental fall.