Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Sir Tigger KC]

Airport baggage handler killed when sucked into aeroplanes jet engine. 

https://simpleflying.com/baggage-handler-american-airlines-accident/

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Messy?

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

....and bloody.

[YZ250]

  Doesn’t bear thinking about, although I’d imagine it was quick. Not quite on par with man flu but a very serious contender. 

[Doctor Gollum]

It would be like walking into a cheese grater.

The actual engine intake might have hoovered up some bits, but the front fan does all the damage until the engine stalls out or the engine is shut down.

I suspect that they were new to the job because there's no business being anywhere near a running engine, especially close enough to be sucked in. The details are pretty vague, but it may be un unavoidable accident... Say they slipped on ice and where sucked over ice, but even then, they would have had to be pretty close to the ingestion area, which is a cardinal sin.

It’s perfectly safe to approach the nose gear area on any aircraft with the engines at idle with the caveat that you approach from ahead of the nose and along the centreline. If only one engine is running then you can approach from the dead side.

[ronnyd]

 Excuse my gallows humour but Mr T was right. Silly jokes aside, what the hell must have that guy be thinking as he was dragged toward that engine. Hope it was mercifully quick.

[TheBoy]

Now I accept your average passenger doesn't understand why they put a cordon around the wing when using steps, but surely every single employee who is authorised to be airside knows why they shouldn't go anywhere near the engine intake.

[TheBoy]

//TB is thinking if it was like Major Grant in Die Hard

[LC0112G]

Even the most highly trained deck people make mistakes. This guy survived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC1TCXyCqrg

I believe it also happened on the old Ark - or could've been HMS Eagle - when a sailor got sucked into a Buccaneer engine.

[redelitev6]

The pressure on ground staff to get a plane turned around is intense , 40 minutes is the time allowed at Newcastle airport , Passengers off , Luggage off , re-fuelling, Catering carts off , disabled passengers waiting for the weird ambulance lift to get them off , cleaners to do their bit , and then do the whole thing in reverse ,and all the time the radio going " when are you going to be done ? " service providers are fined if found to be the cause of a delay , no wonder corners are cut 

[Doctor Gollum]

Now I accept your average passenger doesn't understand why they put a cordon around the wing when using steps, but surely every single employee who is authorised to be airside knows why they shouldn't go anywhere near the engine intake.

The first is to keep passengers away from the fuel tank vents during fuelling and to minimise any risk from static discharge and anything dripping from the wing.

The following should give clear indication of the ingestion zones on the accident aircraft.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.techcare.embraer.com/irj/go/km/docs/download_center/Anonymous/Ergonomia/Home%2520Page/Documents/ARFF_Lineage1000.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjBk8WV_qb8AhUXWcAKHZu6CmsQFnoECCgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw31snwo0N6_6sZkZfpzSsmE

Incidentally, and in the ramp agents defence, the Embraer is somewhat unique in that the ground power is connected just below, (and from memory) AFT of the main boarding door, which is pretty close to the ingestion zone. But around 3.5-4 metres from the centre of the engine... Not much wiggle room, but plenty safe enough.

The only reason anyone would be there with the engine running would be to connect/disconnect the ground power when the aircraft APU is unserviceable. Which suggests human error where they stepped back away from the power socket rather than moving forward along the fuselage... Also they should have been forward of the socket rather than aft of it.

I have worked this type as a ramp agent, (The Orange Product wet leased one for a couple of months), but never had to connect/disconnect the ground power on one with an inop APU.

I have, however, done this on the A320 family numerous times but the socket on that is immediately ahead of the nose gear. Arrival process is aircraft drives onto stand and the parking brake is applied,  you the approach the nose directly and chock the nose gear, open the power port as you walk away along the centreline, then return with the plug, insert it, switch the power on, slap the belly twice, and walk back ahead of the nose, make eye contact and give the connected signal.

For departure you have the air start unit connected to the AC packs and for ground power, the above is reversed once the first engine is started. One engine gets started first, then the air start gets disconnected, then the ground power and then the second engine.

If this was the situation in this incident, it's possible that the second engine start may have occurred before the ramp agent was clear and they were unaware of the sudden restriction to their space. And for this to happen someone wasn't following standard procedures be that the dispatcher/ramp lead or flight crew.

Usually it is the ramp lead /headset operator who gives instructions to everyone else, and when people jump the gun on a particular step things like this happen.

I know of a chap who lost his lower leg disconnecting the push back tug because the flight crew had released the brakes without instruction as he was removing the steering release pin and the fully loaded A320 drove over his ankle.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gatwick-airport-incident-emergency-crews-12268767

[Doctor Gollum]

Well, the preliminary report is out.

Can't believe that they weren't two dead ramp agents

Regardless of ground time pressure, the four person ground crew held two safety huddles before the aircraft arrived. The woman who died was almost blown off her feet whilst placing a cone at the tail having walked behind the engine that ultimately killed her, whilst a colleague on the other side of the aircraft opened the forward hold whilst the Right engine was still running. This triggered a warning and the FO had to yell at him out of the flight deck window. In surprise this ramp agent stepped back in front of the right hand engine. Luckily for him, the engine was winding down having been shut down.

[Kevin Wood]

Idiots and aircraft. Never a good combination, but Darwin has always been on top of that one.

[Rangie]

Unfortunately happens in many work environments, people take chances/ shortcuts and accidents happen a case of " it will never happen to me" attitude seen it many times, but being  shredded was hopefully a very quick way to end your days .

[Doctor Gollum]

Idiots and aircraft. Never a good combination, but Darwin has always been on top of that one.

The ramp is pretty efficient at dispatching* them for him

*Pun unintended, but whatever