The media got it wrong again. The pilot that was killed, was not hand propping to start it. Yesterday I went to Gillespee and talked to some of my buddies, no body knows for sure but this is my theory. The plane was a Lycoming, he is on the West side of R 35, and we are on the East, so we aren't sure what happend, and the only eye witness was his passenger. He pulled his plane out and climbed aboard strapped in preparing to start engine, mags on, and hit the starter. Engine fires up, but there is a terrible noise coming from the engine. The stater on these is in the front of the engine where the flywheel and ring gear are. The bad noise was the starter bendix, which did not dissengage from the ring gear. When that happens the starter spins at very hi revs, and that is what makes the noise. This probably had happened before, and he knew how to dissengage the Bendix. When he pulled the throttle, the drag of the starter was so great the engine could not idle, so it just quit. now the deadly error. when the engine just stopped, he didn't go through his engine shut down routine, did not turn off the mags. Climbed out, and went to the front of the plane. The prop had stopped in a position that would not allow him to see the starter inside the cowel, so while looking into nosebowl with his head up close to the opening moved the prop down so he could see the starter. The mags must have impacts on them, so once the impact trips it fires the plugs. With fuel in the carb, and the mags on, the engine fires. The prop got him in the back of the head just at the base of the skull. When the FAA guy showed up they found the mags were still on. As pilots we have all done stupid things, and if we are lucky we live to tell about it. we all know that a second of dumb can kill you. We are all saddened by this, but we all will learn something that we already know. My great grandaughter goes to the same hi school that this guy's son goes to. He was 41. Our condolences Klatu
