Return to the incident list: Incident List Starter Cord Into Prop PPG Type: Type of Injury:

Pilot Details

Age: 59 Weight: 180 Gender: Highest rating held at the time of the incident: Pilot experience level:

Gear Details

Wing Brand: Model: Size: Paramotor Frame: with

Incident Details

November 18, 2008 Location of the incident: , Type of Incident:

Oct. 18, 2008, 1755hr,calm winds, old hay field, not rough but undulating.I had flight earlier in the day(1345), it had gotten bumpy as the overcast broke,but was uneventful. 1755 I set up for a forward as the wind was calm.I had previously warmed the motor, hooked in and restarted using a kick start. I ran the motor for a minute or so to re-warm and assure throttle response. Inflation was normal. I continued the run, the motor hesitated. The motor gained power and I started to lift off when there was a bang and I saw a piece of metal fly past me on the left. I shut down unhooked and looked to see what had come off. There was a chunk missing from one end of the prop, and fuzz (similar to milkweed silk) under the motor. I expected to see frame or exhaust damage to account for the piece of metal, nothing missing. Thats when I noticed the lack of starter cord and handle. Backtracking I found a piece of metal and the starter handle with a short piece of cord. When I got home and started taking the starter off, it was obvious that the metal was part of the starter cup. I don’t know if the starter handle failed to fully retract, or bounced out from the rough run. The spring is still intact. I have obtained new starter parts and a starter. Things seem to work fine. I will be more diligent when using the kick start,but I don’t know of any other precautions.

Flight Window: Wind Speed: Type: Phase of Flight: Type of Injury: Collateral Damage: Analysis of the incident (additional input by the incident investigation team): Photos (if available):

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