Probable cause
The inadvertent engine start of the unoccupied airplane, which resulted in it moving forward and impacting a hangar and an electrical box.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that he conducted the preflight and that, during the start sequence, the engine's starter would not engage. He turned off the switches, set the parking brake, and exited the cockpit. He rotated the engine by turning the propeller slowly by hand so that the starter would engage. The engine started unexpectedly, and the airplane moved forward. The airplane impacted a hangar and an electrical transformer box, and a postimpact fire ensured, which consumed the airplane and prevented examination of the cockpit, brakes, or electrical system.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20CA087 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Feb 15, 2020
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Columbus, Mississippi
- Nearest airport
- Columbus-Lowndes County (UBS)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Amateur-built RV8
- N-number
- N7736T
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.