N5687F – ALON A2 – 2012-02-04 NTSB Accident Report

On February 04, 2012, a Alon A2 (N5687F) was involved in an incident near Forks, WA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's incorrect placement of the throttle prior to starting the airplane by hand. Contributing to the accident was that the pilot did not ensure that the airplane was restrained in a manner that would keep it from moving forward.

The pilot, who due to a dead battery, planned on starting his airplane by hand-propping it. After loading his passenger, he set the throttle and the parking brake, but he elected not to tie the airplane down or place chocks in front of its wheels. When he pulled the propeller through, the engine started right up as he intended, but he had placed the throttle in a position that resulted in a higher RPM than he had expected. Due to the high RPM, the parking brake was unable to hold the airplane in position and it therefore started rolling forward with only the passenger inside. Although the pilot attempted to reenter the airplane, he was unable to do so.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR12CA095. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N5687F.