Cessna 170B N2831C

Summary

On 10 April 2006 at about 14:00 local time, a Cessna 170B registered N2831C was involved in an accident near Havre, Montana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 April 2006 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Havre, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Havre City-County Airport (HVR)

Coordinates

48.5431, -109.7622

Aircraft

Cessna 170B

Registration

N2831C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Havre → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA06CA073

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper starting procedures in attempting to hand-prop the airplane's engine. Contributing factors were the discharged battery, the failure of the right parking brake and the hangar which the aircraft collided with.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner discovered the airplane's battery had discharged over the winter months, and was attempting to start the airplane by hand propping it. The pilot reported that he had set the parking brake, and that the right brake failed during the starting procedure; the airplane taxied into a hangar without an occupant on board. The outboard two feet of the right wing was bent and wrinkled, and the right flap was pushed into the fuselage. The Cessna 170B maintenance manual states that a discharged battery should be charged on the ground before attempting flight. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Flight Training Handbook, AC 61-21A, states: "It is recommended that an engine never be 'hand propped' unless a qualified person thoroughly familiar with the operation of all the controls is seated at the controls and the brakes set."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.