Another proppeller accident!

[Len Petterson]

Senario:
Daytime.
Ultraligth Beaver 550 on skies.
Engine 582 Rotax with ropestart and 3 blade carbon propp.
winter contion.
Pilot is alone at the plane, other pepole are present at the airport.
it is not known at this time but it is suspeted what the aircraft moved after being started.
The proppeller came in contact with the pilots BACK and he sustined sever dammage to is back in form last skin and muscle tissue.
If he would have been completly alone he would have had small chanse off survival. He sustained what when would have been life treatning injuries!
Please! Tie down your tail at all times or get help too keep the plane from moving!
It is with a heavy hart I am writing this warning as man is friend of mine.
Len

[crispy critter]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

Len, sorry to hear about you friend, hope he makes a full speedy recovery.

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

Hi Len , I too express the best to your friend and pray for a speedy recovery. We have had two accidents in the past here at Barber. We learned a lot from each. Tie her down or ASK for help.....

[astjp2]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

For anyone that is running 8.50's a 4x4 is not large enough, mine jumped them a few years ago. The throttle was only in 1/2" and that was enough to jump the chocks. Tim

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

This is why I use TWO INDEPENDENT tie downs to prop alone. I don't care if they DO laugh at me when I start.
When I was in the Navy we had a Tech Rep walk into an E-2 prop (T-56, 4 blade prop) and lost an an arm. He was in shock, stood up and walked into it again. The second strike killed him.
You don't forget that.
I am so sorry and pray for a full and speedy recovery.

Hank

DOUBLE TIE YOUR PLANE!

[Guest]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

This is why I use TWO INDEPENDENT tie downs to prop alone. I don't care if they DO laugh at me when I start.
When I was in the Navy we had a Tech Rep walk into an E-2 prop (T-56, 4 blade prop) and lost an an arm. He was in shock, stood up and walked into it again. The second strike killed him.
You don't forget that.
I am so sorry and pray for a full and speedy recovery.

Hank

DOUBLE TIE YOUR PLANE!

oh man that was terrible

sorry to hear about both of them

best wishes to your friend Len

Dave

[guns68]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

I am very sorry to hear that and hope and pray for a quick recovery as well.

For anyone that is running 8.50's a 4x4 is not large enough, mine jumped them a few years ago. The throttle was only in 1/2" and that was enough to jump the chocks. Tim

I have 8.50's and that happened to me this last fall. Thanks goodness nothing else happened.

[Carrieve]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

I'll pray for your friend Len. I always tie mine down. In fact I have a big eye ring on each corner of my hangar door frame out front that I use. Once it is warm and idling well, then I untie and step up. I still keep my hand on the throttle pulling it back, while I get in.

[Len Petterson]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

Thank you for your kind thoughts and prairs for my friend.
Yes I have had mine move on me after the engine stalled on roll out.
It is scary, I din't know I could move so fast!
I would like thank you all for wrighting about your experiences, as I have learned a lot from you all, Thanks again.Len

[Dano"T"]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

ten years ago my uncle landed with his cub and the engine died on rollout...he was having trouble with this from time to time. He got out of the plane on the runway at his grass strip to hand prop it and taxi over to the hangar....he forgot that he had advanced the throttle trying to keep it running and when he started it, it roared to life...he grabbed the plane but was unable to keep it from going into a ditch, nosing over, and bending the prop....now he was angry and upset. He pulled the plane to the hangar shaking his head with disgust. He pulled it into the hangar and began to inspect the damage. Since there was a prop strike, he feared the crank was bent, so he started turning over the prop....forgetting that the prop strike had stopped the engine and the mags were still hot////the engine fired up again,this time the bent propeller struck him several times killing him. Be careful!

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

Rule one in hand propping, ALWAYS tie the plane down
Rule two, ALL mags are ALWAYS hot!

At airshows I have a small alligator clip harness I can clip to the "P" lead terminals and to the engine to provide a second ground. Kids have a bad habit of moving switches and it only takes a moment for a kid to reach in and turn the mag switch. That makes your plane dangerous for the first knucklehead who leans on the prop for a picture.
A nice side benefit is it is really hard to steal the plane if you don't know what to look for.

Hank

[wingwalkers]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

I always chock the plane and tie with rope . After I start the plane and it is idling I remove the chocks and get in the plane and pull the rope that I made to release in the cabin with me and go flying.[/B]

[Guest]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

A few years ago there was thread on tieing down when starting and a number of folks mentioned used a large dog walking leash that had a wind up reel.

The folks looped the leash around one side of the plane and back to an anchor of some sort then back up the other side and into the cabin where they attached the hook end to the reel.

I saw it done once, pretty cool.

After starting get in the cabin, unhook the leash and reel up the strap. Fly away with your reel/leash.

[vetdrem]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

I am the one that developed the plans and built the "retractable tie down" that you are talking about.

It works pretty good, and I still sell the plans.($15.00).

I did a video that shows how it works. Here is the link to the youtube video that I just posted there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV3_VG76Gv0

You also need to note the milk crate chocks that were made by Larry Bugg (owner of THE nicest T-craft in northern Michigan).

I hope the link works.

Louie (989) 387-4662

[Frank DeBartolo]

Re: Another proppeller accident!

Louie,

I watched the video and saved it as a favorite. I am interested,

It looks like you have to have a tie-down ring of some kind behind the airplane to attach the tie-down to. If no tie-down ring was available, and you were at another airport--let's say you just refueled, could you wrap the tiedown around a post (simialr to posts found around gas pumps if that is all that was available) and then hook the tie-down to the cable and still disconnect it--In other words, if you had the tie-down wrapped around the post, could you still be able to disconnect it? Also, my lift handle is on the right side of the airplane. Does that make a difference? In other words if I was sitting in the left seat, I would have to disconnect the retractable tie-down apparatus that would be connected to the right side of the airplane. This means that I would have to be leaning sideways to the right (probably not being able to keep my feet on the brakes). I would have to lean across the instrument panel. The trottle would be right in the middle of the panel which means that I could bump it while leaning across--does not sound the best. Where else on the left side can the plane be tied down in order for it to work like you demonstrated in your video. Can the tie-down go underneath the airplane (from the right lift handle to the left cockpit) and still be disconnected from the left? Your tie down looks very promising and I am very interested--that is why I am asking all the questions.
Frank D
N43684