HARTFORD, CT, USA
N1420S
Cessna 182P
The pilot taxied the airplane from the north side of a building to the south side. He set the parking park and secured the engine to load a passenger along with some baggage. The pilot than started the engine. While the passenger was looking for a pair of sunglasses, the pilot looked down to set the transponder code. With the engine at 'low' rpm, the airplane rolled approximately 60 feet. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was aware of its movements until the collision. After the collision, a 'shower' of gasoline was observed, which the pilot thought was water at the time. He secured the electrical master, and released the barking brake with the intention of pushing the airplane back. Once outside, the pilot realized the water was in fact gasoline, so no attempt was made to move the airplane. After the accident, a FAA Inspector set the parking brake then attempted to push the airplane. He could not get the airplane to roll.
On February 9, 2000, at 1100 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182P, N1420S, received minor damage when it taxied into an unoccupied parked airplane at the Hartford-Brainard Airport, Hartford, Connecticut. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that was destined for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, he taxied the airplane from the north side of a building to the south side. He then set the parking park, and secured the engine to load a passenger along with some baggage. Once loaded, the pilot started the engine. While the passenger was looking for a pair of sunglasses, the pilot looked down to set the transponder code. With the engine at "low" rpm, the airplane rolled approximately 60 feet. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was aware of its movement until the collision. After the collision, a "shower" of gasoline was observed, which the pilot thought was water at the time. He secured the electrical master, and released the barking brake with the intention of pushing the airplane back. Once outside, the pilot realized the water was in fact gasoline, so no attempt was made to move the airplane. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector that examined the airplane after the accident, he set the parking brake then attempted to push the airplane. He could not get the airplane to roll.
The pilot's failure to maintain a visual lookout.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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