Piper PA-28-161 accident near Summerville, South Carolina, February 7, 2004
On February 7, 2004 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N21266, was substantially damaged in an accident near Summerville, South Carolina (Summerville, Sc airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate start procedure, which resulted in a run-away airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 2004 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Summerville, South Carolina · Summerville, Sc · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N21266 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7916031
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot set the parking brake and attempted to start the airplane by rotating the propeller by hand. The airplane started and moved forward, and the pilot climbed up on the right wing to enter the cockpit but slipped and fell to the ground. The pilot grabbed onto the cabin step and was dragged as he attempted to gain access to the cockpit. When the pilot realized a collision with a parked airplane was imminent, he released his hold on the cabin step. The airplane taxied unmanned and collided with a parked airplane. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 375 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,157 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 21, 2003; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aero Engines O-360-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KDYB Summerville SC at 5:45 pm
- Destination: KCAE Columbia SC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from KCHS, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.