Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to assure that the passenger did not exit the airplane while the propeller was still turning.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
According to the pilot, the passenger developed a physical urgency, and could not wait until the propeller had stopped. She exited the aircraft via the right door, and moved forward over the wing. As she stepped off of the wing, her left hand was stuck by the propeller.
Source record
Factual narrative
On September 23, 1994, about 1430 eastern daylight time, a passenger was struck by the propeller of a Piper PA-28-235B, N622MK, when she exited the airplane, before the engine was shut down, at First Flight Airport in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was not damaged. The private pilot was not injured, but the passenger received serious injuries. The flight departed Williamsburg, Virginia, at 1330 hours. The pilot verbally stated that the passenger had a physical urgency, and she could not wait until the engine was shut down. She exited the cockpit via the right door and proceeded forward, over the right wing of the airplane. As she jumped from the wing, her left hand was struck by the propeller, severing three fingers. A report of the accident, NTSB Form 6120.1/2, was not provided by the pilot. -