Narrative:

As part of our family summer vacation, I rented a C-172 at new bern, nc, for a VFR sight seeing flight. I have a total of almost 300 hours in 4 yrs. Almost all of that is in a piper warrior. We flew up the outer banks of north carolina to the wright brothers national memorial and landed at first flight airport. In all the excitement, I left the master switch on in the aircraft. When we returned from the wright brothers national memorial, we had a dead battery. There are no services at first flight airport! There are some air tour operators using the field for local sight seeing flts. I asked the manager what could be done since there were no services. We discussed flying in a battery from a nearby airport. I then asked if there was someone on site who was qualified to hand propeller the aircraft. He said he was an a and P and that he would not do it, but that some of the pilots had done it before. There was a young pilot standing right there with us. I asked him if he knew how to hand propeller the aircraft. He eagerly stepped forward and said he would be happy to hand propeller the plane. We went quickly to the plane. I got in the pilot's seat and he instructed me that he would call for master switch on and master switch off. I was to position the switch as requested and call back the switch position. After several attempts to hand propeller the engine, he came back to the door to inspect the master switch. He wanted to confirm that I had it in the on position. He seemed to be in a great hurry to finish and return to work. I was a little uneasy by this time. I was thinking that we should be positioning the magneto switch and not the master switch. I asked him where he wanted the key. He said it should be in start when he pulled down the propeller, just like I was starting the plane. Very soon the engine started. I do not remember if he was pulling the propeller through or positioning it. As he jumped back from the propeller he shook his hand as if he had hit it on something. I did not yet realize that he was injured. Only when he came around to the side of the plane did I see the blood and realize that he was injured. He insisted that he was not badly injured and ran off back to work. Only when I sent my wife to give him some money for his help did we realize it was serious. When she returned to the plane, she said he had been taken for medical attention. It turned out that he had broken a bone in his hand and required surgery to fix the damage. I do understand that he is expected to make a full recovery. I feel that I was too hasty to allow someone to hand propeller the aircraft. It is now obvious that he did not really understand what he was doing. It was a mistake for me to rely on him for instruction in the hand propping procedure. If this ever happens again, I will wait for the new battery. However, I feel that more emphasis should be given to this procedure in primary training and that it should be discouraged.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PLT WAS INJURED WHILE PERFORMING A HAND PROP PROC TO START A C172.

Narrative: AS PART OF OUR FAMILY SUMMER VACATION, I RENTED A C-172 AT NEW BERN, NC, FOR A VFR SIGHT SEEING FLT. I HAVE A TOTAL OF ALMOST 300 HRS IN 4 YRS. ALMOST ALL OF THAT IS IN A PIPER WARRIOR. WE FLEW UP THE OUTER BANKS OF N CAROLINA TO THE WRIGHT BROTHERS NATIONAL MEMORIAL AND LANDED AT FIRST FLT ARPT. IN ALL THE EXCITEMENT, I LEFT THE MASTER SWITCH ON IN THE ACFT. WHEN WE RETURNED FROM THE WRIGHT BROTHERS NATIONAL MEMORIAL, WE HAD A DEAD BATTERY. THERE ARE NO SVCS AT FIRST FLT ARPT! THERE ARE SOME AIR TOUR OPERATORS USING THE FIELD FOR LCL SIGHT SEEING FLTS. I ASKED THE MGR WHAT COULD BE DONE SINCE THERE WERE NO SVCS. WE DISCUSSED FLYING IN A BATTERY FROM A NEARBY ARPT. I THEN ASKED IF THERE WAS SOMEONE ON SITE WHO WAS QUALIFIED TO HAND PROP THE ACFT. HE SAID HE WAS AN A AND P AND THAT HE WOULD NOT DO IT, BUT THAT SOME OF THE PLTS HAD DONE IT BEFORE. THERE WAS A YOUNG PLT STANDING RIGHT THERE WITH US. I ASKED HIM IF HE KNEW HOW TO HAND PROP THE ACFT. HE EAGERLY STEPPED FORWARD AND SAID HE WOULD BE HAPPY TO HAND PROP THE PLANE. WE WENT QUICKLY TO THE PLANE. I GOT IN THE PLT'S SEAT AND HE INSTRUCTED ME THAT HE WOULD CALL FOR MASTER SWITCH ON AND MASTER SWITCH OFF. I WAS TO POS THE SWITCH AS REQUESTED AND CALL BACK THE SWITCH POS. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO HAND PROP THE ENG, HE CAME BACK TO THE DOOR TO INSPECT THE MASTER SWITCH. HE WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT I HAD IT IN THE ON POS. HE SEEMED TO BE IN A GREAT HURRY TO FINISH AND RETURN TO WORK. I WAS A LITTLE UNEASY BY THIS TIME. I WAS THINKING THAT WE SHOULD BE POSITIONING THE MAGNETO SWITCH AND NOT THE MASTER SWITCH. I ASKED HIM WHERE HE WANTED THE KEY. HE SAID IT SHOULD BE IN START WHEN HE PULLED DOWN THE PROP, JUST LIKE I WAS STARTING THE PLANE. VERY SOON THE ENG STARTED. I DO NOT REMEMBER IF HE WAS PULLING THE PROP THROUGH OR POSITIONING IT. AS HE JUMPED BACK FROM THE PROP HE SHOOK HIS HAND AS IF HE HAD HIT IT ON SOMETHING. I DID NOT YET REALIZE THAT HE WAS INJURED. ONLY WHEN HE CAME AROUND TO THE SIDE OF THE PLANE DID I SEE THE BLOOD AND REALIZE THAT HE WAS INJURED. HE INSISTED THAT HE WAS NOT BADLY INJURED AND RAN OFF BACK TO WORK. ONLY WHEN I SENT MY WIFE TO GIVE HIM SOME MONEY FOR HIS HELP DID WE REALIZE IT WAS SERIOUS. WHEN SHE RETURNED TO THE PLANE, SHE SAID HE HAD BEEN TAKEN FOR MEDICAL ATTN. IT TURNED OUT THAT HE HAD BROKEN A BONE IN HIS HAND AND REQUIRED SURGERY TO FIX THE DAMAGE. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT HE IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A FULL RECOVERY. I FEEL THAT I WAS TOO HASTY TO ALLOW SOMEONE TO HAND PROP THE ACFT. IT IS NOW OBVIOUS THAT HE DID NOT REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS DOING. IT WAS A MISTAKE FOR ME TO RELY ON HIM FOR INSTRUCTION IN THE HAND PROPPING PROC. IF THIS EVER HAPPENS AGAIN, I WILL WAIT FOR THE NEW BATTERY. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT MORE EMPHASIS SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THIS PROC IN PRIMARY TRAINING AND THAT IT SHOULD BE DISCOURAGED.

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.