Cessna 421C, G-BHKJ, 23 May 2001

Cessna 421C, G-BHKJ

Summary:

The aircraft, which had arrived at RAF Lyneham earlier that morning, was due to depart later that afternoon. At 1200 hrs a starter crew from the RAF Visiting Aircraft Section (VAS) approached the pilot, who was by his aircraft, and enquired as to his expected start time. He was unsure, as his passengers had yet to arrive, but estimated an engine start time of 1230 hrs. The starter crew therefore returned to their accommodation to await his call having left a CO2 fire extinguisher in front of the nose wheel in preparation for the start. At 1228 hrs the pilot transmitted on Lyneham ground frequency that he estimated start in 5 minutes. He did not however request that this information be passed to VAS or Station Operations. Eventually at 1250 hrs a request for start was made and approved and both engines were started without the presence of a starter crew.

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Published 10 December 2014