Narrative:

I flew on a VFR cross country to cha with a student pilot. We arrived at the airport and proceeded to taxi to FBO. Upon arriving at the ramp, the attendant came out to direct us to parking. My student followed the lineman's directions and parked in the proper position. She, the student, then began the proper shutdown procedures, following the aircraft checklist. Upon moving the mixture control to the idle cutoff position, the engine shut down and the propeller stopped turning. Turning the engine off by way of the mixture control is the standard procedure as written on the checklist. When the propeller stopped, the lineman came forward to place wheel chocks around the front wheel. The lineman reached through the propeller arc to place the chocks. My student, following standard shutdown procedures, began to remove the keys from the ignition switch. Upon removing the keys, she accidentally turned them in the opposite direction to the start position. This caused the propeller to turn 1/8 - 1/4 of a turn and strike the lineman across the left tricep and mid left rib area. The lineman stood up and began walking back to the hangar rubbing his back and cursing. I calmed my student who was in complete dismay and shock. I then proceeded to the hangar to check on the condition of the lineman. He was shaken up but seemed to be fine. We, myself and an emergency room doctor who happened to be on the scene, looked at the man's back. It appeared that the man had a large welt on his back but the skin was not broken and nothing else appeared to be damaged. We made our apologies to him and he to us and nothing else was said. Actions that could have been taken to avoid problem: 1) I should not have taken for granted that the student would do the exact same thing that she had done every time before. 2) the lineman should have been trained never to reach through the arc of the propeller or at least not until he was sure the engine was fully shut down. 3) I should have warned my student again, at the time, to be careful with the engine shutdown.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LINEMAN IS STRUCK BY PROP WHEN STUDENT ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGES THE STARTER.

Narrative: I FLEW ON A VFR XCOUNTRY TO CHA WITH A STUDENT PLT. WE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT AND PROCEEDED TO TAXI TO FBO. UPON ARRIVING AT THE RAMP, THE ATTENDANT CAME OUT TO DIRECT US TO PARKING. MY STUDENT FOLLOWED THE LINEMAN'S DIRECTIONS AND PARKED IN THE PROPER POS. SHE, THE STUDENT, THEN BEGAN THE PROPER SHUTDOWN PROCS, FOLLOWING THE ACFT CHKLIST. UPON MOVING THE MIXTURE CTL TO THE IDLE CUTOFF POS, THE ENG SHUT DOWN AND THE PROP STOPPED TURNING. TURNING THE ENG OFF BY WAY OF THE MIXTURE CTL IS THE STANDARD PROC AS WRITTEN ON THE CHKLIST. WHEN THE PROP STOPPED, THE LINEMAN CAME FORWARD TO PLACE WHEEL CHOCKS AROUND THE FRONT WHEEL. THE LINEMAN REACHED THROUGH THE PROP ARC TO PLACE THE CHOCKS. MY STUDENT, FOLLOWING STANDARD SHUTDOWN PROCS, BEGAN TO REMOVE THE KEYS FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. UPON REMOVING THE KEYS, SHE ACCIDENTALLY TURNED THEM IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THE START POS. THIS CAUSED THE PROP TO TURN 1/8 - 1/4 OF A TURN AND STRIKE THE LINEMAN ACROSS THE L TRICEP AND MID L RIB AREA. THE LINEMAN STOOD UP AND BEGAN WALKING BACK TO THE HANGAR RUBBING HIS BACK AND CURSING. I CALMED MY STUDENT WHO WAS IN COMPLETE DISMAY AND SHOCK. I THEN PROCEEDED TO THE HANGAR TO CHK ON THE CONDITION OF THE LINEMAN. HE WAS SHAKEN UP BUT SEEMED TO BE FINE. WE, MYSELF AND AN EMER ROOM DOCTOR WHO HAPPENED TO BE ON THE SCENE, LOOKED AT THE MAN'S BACK. IT APPEARED THAT THE MAN HAD A LARGE WELT ON HIS BACK BUT THE SKIN WAS NOT BROKEN AND NOTHING ELSE APPEARED TO BE DAMAGED. WE MADE OUR APOLOGIES TO HIM AND HE TO US AND NOTHING ELSE WAS SAID. ACTIONS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO AVOID PROB: 1) I SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN FOR GRANTED THAT THE STUDENT WOULD DO THE EXACT SAME THING THAT SHE HAD DONE EVERY TIME BEFORE. 2) THE LINEMAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN TRAINED NEVER TO REACH THROUGH THE ARC OF THE PROP OR AT LEAST NOT UNTIL HE WAS SURE THE ENG WAS FULLY SHUT DOWN. 3) I SHOULD HAVE WARNED MY STUDENT AGAIN, AT THE TIME, TO BE CAREFUL WITH THE ENG SHUTDOWN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.