Hand Propping

Although this wasn't an RV, I thought Doug would be OK with me posting it here. This happened two hangars away from my hangar. The biplane (Culp Special) has a Russian Vedeneyev (sp?) M-14P radial engine. It's a 360 hp engine with an air starter. Not sure yet how it happened, but apparently the air starter wouldn't get the engine going, and the decision was made to hand prop. I was told that either the air starter suddenly engaged or the engine hit enough to unexpectedly turn over. If it had started, he wouldn't have survived.

Here's the news report.

WAFF 48 LINK

The good news is that the victim is very lucky. He is alive and expected to be okay. The bad news is he has about 52 staples in his head. If you look closely in the video you can spot the bent leading edge of the prop where it hit his head. This engine turns backwards to our Lycomings.

Be safe. Hand propping an airplane engine is a high risk activity.

Don

P.S. Sorry about the 15 second advertisement. The reference is to DCU, Pryor Field, near Decatur, Alabama.

Poor guy

That's a lot of engine to hand prop, bet that for a radial, the compression ratio is high on the M14P.

Also, appears to be the original Culp Special judging by the paint job. Being a former Skybolt guy, I used to covet the Culps the way some of us RV'ers covet the Rockets...

Nice aircraft and hope he comes out of it OK. Heck of a dent in that prop - those Alabama boys have some hard heads.

A radial is a lot easier to prop than an IO-360. Usually lower compression ratio than a flat opposed engine. Milt........what's the C/R on an M-14????

Newspaper account

The local new story with photo can be read here:

Decatur Daily


One correction is that he didn't own the airplane but was rather helping the owner. And yes, it is the original Culp Special, a beautiful piece of work crafted by Steve Culp based on the Skybolt design. The engine puts out so much thrust that a mag check has to be done while the airplane is rolling with brakes slightly engaged. Full lock will bring the tail up. And it climbs really fast...I'm thinking something like 4,000fpm was quoted at the local airport, but don't hold me to that.

Yukon said:

A radial is a lot easier to prop than an IO-360. Usually lower compression ratio than a flat opposed engine. Milt........what's the C/R on an M-14????

Click to expand...

The CR on the M14 is 6.3:1 .The problem in handpropping the M14 is it is geared (.658:1) and presents a stiff resistance. If you have a composite prop there just isn't enough inertia to roll past top dead center.

The main problem however in hand propping is that without engaging the starter (and thus altering the timing to after TDC) the timing is set before TDC and can really wallop you if it fires before TDC and you didn't have the inertia to carry it over the top.

My guess is the engine didn't start but kicked back and caught him with the back side of the blade.
In my opinion hand propping an M14 is not a brilliant idea.

You start the M-14 with the mags in the off position. The start button also starts the shower of sparks ignition and when the engine fires you turn on the mags. If hand propping it needs to be started with the shower of sparks. They are very easy to hand prop cold or hot and start right up if primed correctly. Don

Sounds like Mr. Wright is doing ok - you have to appreciate his post injury quote from an earlier incident where our hand propper went down and was injured from a crash:

""I am the most grateful person you'll meet probably in the next 25 years," Wright told The Daily five months after that crash. "I know exactly how blessed I am because my luck has never been that good."

Indeed Mr. Wright, it is a good thing to be alive after cheating the Reaper - now x2.

A lesson here

yakdriver said:

You start the M-14 with the mags in the off position. The start button also starts the shower of sparks ignition and when the engine fires you turn on the mags. If hand propping it needs to be started with the shower of sparks. They are very easy to hand prop cold or hot and start right up if primed correctly. Don

Click to expand...

There's a valuable lesson here folks. You guys with e-mags/p-mags and such, need to know where the timing sits if you ever need to hand-prop. Furthermore, we with Slick mags need to realize that we start only on the mag that has retarded timing, usually the left mag. The right mag is advanced around 25 degrees and could fire and cause a kick back.

I've propped as big as a 1340 Pratt in my younger days on a bet and won, but that's too big. Three bladed props are dangerous to hand prop....I have one....ask me how I know

Be careful,
Pierre

A Very, Very Lucky Guy

I thought I should post a follow up (end of the story) post on this thread. Bottom line is the victim got out of the hospital on Friday and is now at Oshkosh!!! With 52 staples in his head.
He's part owner of a business that sells LSA's and he felt like he had to go.
I also wanted to post how the accident happened. The M-14P uses a compressed air starter. As the owner was attempting to start the engine with the air starter, the engine just wouldn't quite turn over, so for whatever reason, the victim reached in to the propeller to give it a nudge. I don't know if this had ever been done before by him or anyone else, nor do I know if it was pre-briefed with the owner. The victim also did not have good balance and apparently as the prop turned through compression with his "nudging" the engine fired just enough to turn over two blades. At the same time, the victim lost balance and fell toward the prop. His head received two propeller strikes, one from each blade. If the engine had started, ...well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what the result would have been.
There's a lot of "shouldn't haves" in this account.
It's just a reminder that being around an airplane engine is risky business.
Be "full of care" out there.
Don (Another one)
P.S. I sure do miss going to Oshkosh this year. Next year...I'm going!

This isn't an RV prop strike either, but there is a valuable lesson to be learned here. Here?s a prop strike on a Hummebird. Since I know nobody got hurt, I can't help but find it amusing. It could have been very serious. Listen to the sound effects, the whole video cracks me up.

Not sure how to get the video here by itself, so just go to the link at the bottom of my post, and once there click on the second video on the left. I think all will enjoy this one while learning a few things to check off your list before hand propping.

http://www.marioshanger.com/video.html

wj

wrongway john said:

This isn't an RV prop strike either, but there is a valuable lesson to be learned here. Here?s a prop strike on a Hummebird. Since I know nobody got hurt, I can't help but find it amusing. It could have been very serious. Listen to the sound effects, the whole video cracks me up.

Not sure how to get the video here by itself, so just go to the link at the bottom of my post, and once there click on the second video on the left. I think all will enjoy this one while learning a few things to check off your list before hand propping.

http://www.marioshanger.com/video.html

wj

Click to expand...

HAHAHA - just the way the guy taking video says "wow"

It?s a wonder the guy with the hat didn?t get a prop thrown at him because just as he was running back the prop hits the pavement when he is in direct line with the prop throw. Same goes for the cameraman who seems to just stay put and is in direct line of the prop throw as well. I?ve watched that thing a zillion times. The gas can spits fuel from the top, then drops down further into the fuselage. All the different sound effects from the plane itself are golden.

wj

Propping properly doesn't have to be a dangerous PROPosition. I prop my Cub all the time as have thousands of pilots, just stay out of the arc and tie it down if propping from the front. A education in propping can be very expensive.
My RV8 has a three blade hartzel and I put a charger on it if the battery's low.
Iam not sure I would prop a M14 but the fella that did, broke the rule of staying out of the arc, esp. with his head!!

wrongway john said:

It?s a wonder the guy with the hat didn?t get a prop thrown at him because just as he was running back the prop hits the pavement when he is in direct line with the prop throw. Same goes for the cameraman who seems to just stay put and is in direct line of the prop throw as well. I?ve watched that thing a zillion times. The gas can spits fuel from the top, then drops down further into the fuselage. All the different sound effects from the plane itself are golden.

wj

Click to expand...

Yikes! Some people should stick to more earth-bound hobbies. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that these guys crashed on first flight. Have you seen their riveting technique: "drill and drive, screw all that deburrin' cr@p."