N8988B – CESSNA 172B – 2014-03-22 NTSB Accident Report

On March 22, 2014, a Cessna 172B (N8988B) was involved in an incident near Mt Olive, NC. 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 failure to adequately secure the airplane before hand-propping the engine for startup.

According to the pilot, when he attempted to start the airplane, "the battery was low." He exited the airplane, instructed the passenger to remain in the airplane and how to turn the magnetos on and off, and he utilized the tail tie down hook and secured the tail down with a rope on the ramp. The pilot hand-propped the engine, it started, the throttle was "too far in," and the airplane accelerated forward. The "old" tie down rope broke, the airplane continued forward, and the passenger in the airplane turned the magnetos to the "OFF" position. However, the airplane impacted a hangar and then came to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and right wing during the accident sequence.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA14CA176. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8988B.