Cessna 150 accident near York, Pennsylvania, November 9, 2009
On November 9, 2009 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N976HB, was involved in an accident during standing (engine(s) start-up) near York, Pennsylvania (York Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent encounter with a rotating propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2009 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- York, Pennsylvania · York Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 L · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N976HB · no longer on the register · serial 15074983
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot connected his car battery to the airplane's battery with jumper cables and started the airplane's engine. He stated that the airplane's wheels were not chocked, the parking brake was not set, and as he detached the jumper cables from the airplane's battery the airplane "started to taxi." The pilot stopped the airplane by holding on to the wing strut, and instructed the passenger inside the airplane to step on the toe brakes. During his second attempt to detach the jumper cables, the airplane moved forward again. According to the pilot, "I ran around again to stop the plane [and] I ran into the prop…" The pilot sustained a serious injury to his left arm.
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
What happened, in order
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during standing (engine(s) start-up) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,148 hours in all; 2,148 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,104 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 22, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 21, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: THV York PA
- Destination: THV York PA
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.38 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from THV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N976HB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.