Employee at pilot training school 'seriously injured' after being struck by propeller: TSB

An employee at a company that trains pilots was injured last week when he was struck by the propeller of a small aircraft as a student attempted to start its engine.

On Jan. 8  a student pilot at Harv's Air Service Ltd. at St. Andrews Airport north of Winnipeg was preparing for a local flight in a small Cessna fixed-wing aircraft.

The student followed the startup checklist, but when attempting to start the engine, it would start, sputter and then quit, said the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), which was called in to investigate.

"A Harv's Air employee noticed that the student was having difficulty and walked over to offer assistance," TSB spokesperson Chris Krepski said in an email to CBC News. "The employee hand-rotated the propeller and was subsequently struck by the propeller."  

An ambulance "transported the employee to hospital with serious injuries," he said.

The TSB does not specify the nature of the injuries for privacy reasons.

Employee recovering at home

In an email to CBC News, Harv's Air president Adam Penner said on Thursday the employee was released from hospital the day of the accident, is at home recovering "and doing very well all things considered."

The TSB, which investigates aviation incidents and accidents for cause and contributing factors, classified the case as a Class 5 occurrence under its Policy on Occurrence Classification, meaning the data will be recorded for statistical reporting and future analysis, Krepski said.

Transport Canada is also investigating to determine whether Harv's Air is complying with safety requirements under the Aeronautics Act and the Canadian Aviation Regulations.

"Transport Canada is aware that a propeller struck a person at the St. Andrews Airport and is working with Harv's Air to verify compliance with aviation safety regulations," Transport Canada spokesperson Flavio Nienow said in an email to CBC News. 

In response, Penner said Thursday Harv's Air has "fully co-operated with Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board investigation."

"We have reminded our employees and customers of how to safely handle aircraft propellers. We have reviewed the aircraft manuals and our training material in regards to propeller safety and general safety procedures," he said.

On its website, Harv's Air says it's a family-owned flying school, air taxi, and aircraft maintenance organization with operations in St. Andrews and Steinbach, and has offered flight training for more than 50 years.