A 38-year-old pilot called for help on his mobile phone after he was hit twice by the propeller on his aircraft and received a gaping leg wound.

The seriously injured man managed to apply a tourniquet to his badly damaged thigh while he waited for assistance.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch report said the pilot believed he was struck a glancing blow to his right elbow, which knocked him off his feet and as he fell he was hit again on the upper right thigh, which "threw him to the ground."

The accident, involving a 1981 built piston engined Yakolev Yak, at North Weald Airfield, happened about 12.50pm on February 20 this year.

The AIIB report said the pilot had prepared the aircraft for start up before he taxied to refuel.

It continues: "Having pulled the propeller through nine blades by hand, to check for hydraulic lock, he returned to the cockpit and primed the cylinders with fuel to assist the start procedure.

"Although he had set the parking brake, he did not check the position of the magneto switch.

"As the pilot pulled the propeller through compression to suck in the engine fired."

The report states that when he realised his serious injuries "including a severe open wound, broken femur and slight abrasions to head," he used his mobile phone to call for help.

The pilot reported to the AAIB that though he had many years' experience of hand starting aircraft he did not check that the magnetos were off before moving the propeller. The pilot had 9,000 hours flying experience, 30 of which were in the Yak.

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