hallwaypd
New Member
I had a scare in my Husky that I thought was worth sharing with the hopes that it may give new owners something to think about. I'm sure the tailwheel vets in here will find this blatantly obvious, but I didn't give it any thought until it happened to me. So, here's the scenario... I went out for some local solo practice at my field when one of the local linemen (who had been wanting a ride) called me up on the radio to see if he could hop in for a ride. He's a pilot with tailwheel experience in a T-6, so I was happy to accommodate him and there were no issues... had a great time riding in the Husky. It got interesting once we landed and he asked if the other lineman, who's not a pilot, could go for a quick ride as well. I was of course happy to oblige and said that I would pull up to the terminal, keep the engine idling and asked my first pilot-passenger to exit and help the next guy in as this was his first tailwheel experience. I lean the engine, pull it to idle, and trim the elevator down to ease the ingress. The second passenger was a bigger guy, around 280 lbs, and I could tell he was struggling to get in. So, while I waited, looking to the side while the second passenger is halfway in the airplane, and holding the breaks... out of nowhere, the engine goes full throttle. What seemed like 10 seconds was probably only one, I pulled the throttle back immediately and everything went quiet. While trying to pull himself into the airplane, his hand grabbed the throttle and pushed it all the way forward. With brakes held and elevator down, I could only imagine I was a second or two from a prop strike. Thankfully, this ended well with nothing bent or damaged. However, I had the immediate realization that I had assumed that the first pilot would give enough guidance to get the other guy in so I could brief with his butt in the seat and his headset on. I didn't consider what could happen while getting in the plane. So needless to say, I instantly implemented a new rule that when passengers come in or out, the engine shuts down... period. Fortunately, the Husky is easy to hot start and there is no reason to keep it running, compared to the risks that exist which I am not used to with my Bonanza. This was a good lesson learned that didn't cost anything. I hope that perhaps this story could help other new, or seasoned Husky owners, from this unexpected surprise.
