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An M20E pilot; lulled into complacency by two failed start attempts due to an apparently dead battery; casually attempted a third during which the engine started at high power; which broke both wing tie downs and the aircraft struck two others before they regained control.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 929082 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201101 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | M-20 E Super 21 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Route In Use | None |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine Cranking |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Private Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 3.0 Flight Crew Total 877.2 Flight Crew Type 709.4 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Ground Event / Encounter Aircraft Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control |
| Miss Distance | Horizontal 25 Vertical 0 |
Narrative:
My mooney M20E would not start. I tried several times and the battery seemed completely dead. Disappointed; I re-secured the aircraft and worried about having to buy and install a new battery later. I then got back in the aircraft and tried it one last time; certain that it was dead. Much to my surprise; the propeller began spinning. Out-of-habit; I pushed the throttle in quickly to start and when the aircraft did; it lurched forward breaking the right tie down and causing my aircraft to turn abruptly to the left. I immediately applied the brakes; grabbed the throttle back and tried to steer my aircraft away from a bonanza tied down beside opposite me. As I did the other tie rings then broke and my left wing clipped the front right cowling of a cessna 152 tied-down beside opposite the bonanza.stunned; I taxied my aircraft back to its original parking spot; shut it down; secured it and assessed the damage. I then immediately went to the FBO who put me in contact with the aircraft owners to tell them what happened. I told them I was extremely sorry and promised to pay for any and all costs/damages incurred as result of this incident. In hindsight; I believe I was distracted by the unusual chain of events with the battery not starting initially; and I acted out of habit; by inadvertently pushing the throttle too hard while the plane was secured.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: An M20E pilot; lulled into complacency by two failed start attempts due to an apparently dead battery; casually attempted a third during which the engine started at high power; which broke both wing tie downs and the aircraft struck two others before they regained control.
Narrative: My Mooney M20E would not start. I tried several times and the battery seemed completely dead. Disappointed; I re-secured the aircraft and worried about having to buy and install a new battery later. I then got back in the aircraft and tried it one last time; certain that it was dead. Much to my surprise; the propeller began spinning. Out-of-habit; I pushed the throttle in quickly to start and when the aircraft did; it lurched forward breaking the right tie down and causing my aircraft to turn abruptly to the left. I immediately applied the brakes; grabbed the throttle back and tried to steer my aircraft away from a Bonanza tied down beside opposite me. As I did the other tie rings then broke and my left wing clipped the front right cowling of a Cessna 152 tied-down beside opposite the Bonanza.Stunned; I taxied my aircraft back to its original parking spot; shut it down; secured it and assessed the damage. I then immediately went to the FBO who put me in contact with the aircraft owners to tell them what happened. I told them I was extremely sorry and promised to pay for any and all costs/damages incurred as result of this incident. In hindsight; I believe I was distracted by the unusual chain of events with the battery not starting initially; and I acted out of habit; by inadvertently pushing the throttle too hard while the plane was secured.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.