NTSB Factual Report

The pilot pulled the airplane out of the unheated hangar on a chilly morning, and used the propeller to rotate the engine several times. He set the parking brake, and started the airplane with the starter, but then the engine stopped. The battery would not turn the engine over again, so he decided to hand prop the engine. He primed it, left the parking brake on, set the throttle to idle, turned the master switch and magneto switches on, and spun the propeller. The engine started, but quit. He started it again by hand propping. He advanced the throttle to keep it running, but it quit. He applied carburetor heat, but did not reduce the throttle setting. He hand propped the engine once again and it went to a high rpm setting, and then the airplane began moving forward. The pilot reached in to try and retard the throttle, but was unsuccessful. He fell, and hit his face on the landing gear footstep, which fractured his right cheekbone and caused deep lacerations above his right eye. The airplane continued to move until it collided with a hangar, with both wings sustaining substantial damage.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot’s failure to properly secure the airplane prior to rotating the propeller by hand, resulting in inadvertent movement of the airplane and collision with a building.