The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has completed its investigation after a pilot was struck and killed by a propeller at San Diego's Gillespie Field Airport.
The pilot, who has not been identified, was performing a pre-flight inspection at the time of the fatal accident, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.
During the inspection, the engine magneto was energized and the pilot, for unknown reasons, moved the propeller in the direction that it rotates, Gregor said.
The propeller turned and struck him in the head, Gregor said. The pilot died as a result.
The unnamed pilot had his license and was training for the instrument on Sept. 1 when the fatal accident occurred, according to Tom Hannawa, the owner of American Aviation Academy.
A similar incident happened in 2012 when a single-engine plane pilot got out of his aircraft in the ramp area of Gillespie Field and was hit in the head by the plane's propeller.
No other information was immediately available.
