The student pilot reported that upon engine start-up for a local solo flight, the Cessna 172 “almost immediately pivoted to the left.”
The airplane hit two support beams of the shade hangar it was parked under at the airport in Knoxville, Tennessee, substantially damaging the left wing.
The pilot reported that the parking brake was set when the engine was started and that his feet were on the brakes.
A witness reported that the airplane “started up with what sounded like an excessively high RPM.”
Post-accident inspection of the throttle, toe brake, and parking brake system by an FAA inspector found no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s loss of directional control during engine start.
NTSB Identification: 106444
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This December 2022 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
