Reminder about propeller hazards in aviation...

[the330thbg]

I find it amazing that someone would interject a negative about the lack of training for civilian pilots into this thread. The pilot didn't do this. The pilot was still in the aircraft, going through the process of shutting it down. The pilot didn't walk into the prop. The pilot didn't force or entice the young lady to walk into the prop. What exactly did the pilot's training or lack of training have to do with this?

Maybe what he is trying to point out is the fact that maybe this pilot should have shut the aircraft down prior to opening the door. As is done more often than not. Every light aircraft flight I have taken, I mean every, that was the procedure. All in.., engine on. Engine off.., all out.

Every time I have flown a smaller commercial commuter flight.., the blades are never, never spinning either getting in or out. Never!

Corners were cut., obviously, either in briefing the passengers, or lack there of, or keeping her idle instead of shutting her off to save fuel., but whatever happened.., accidents just do not happen.

They are made to happen.

You have people unfamiliar with an aircraft around, you keep all the dangerous spinning part thingys standing still.

Last edited by the330thbg on Thu Dec 15, 2011 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[cooper9411]

maybe he's out investigating!

[Bcook]

[the330thbg]

maybe he's out investigating!

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/1 ... e_cra.html

[the330thbg]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/p ... -news.html

[L. Thompson]

In May of 2009 a man wrote me whose father was a B-29 electronics counter measure operator with the 2nd BS, 22nd Bomb Group, 15th AF out of Okinawa. They staged at March AFB in Riverside. He flew 25 missions over Korea. He was on the crew of "SHEEZA GOER!", serial 44-27278, a B-29-35-MO. Captain Deaton was aircraft commander.

Quoting this man who I will leave nameless for now:
" Dad witnessed a man from another Bomb Group, possibly the 92nd out of McDill, step backwards into a propeller on base at Okinawa as they were preparing for a mission and be torn to shreds. It has haunted him his whole life. He was advised by a service officer to file a claim at the ripe age of 79 years old. V.A. Regional told him it wasn't a valid claim unless he could produce the name of the Veteran who died in the prop. I think it's completely disrespectful to ask a man at the age of 79 years old who has served his country, been completely financially self-sufficient, raised a family, and been a great member of his community to produce the name of a man who died 60 years ago in order to establish a claim for PTSD. But that is the V.A. way."

I was unable to be much help even though I have made extensive study of the 2nd BS/22nd BG in the Korean War (July to October 1950 at Okinawa). Can anyone make any suggestions on this? PM me if you want to make direct contact with the family.

[Chris Brame]

Back in the mid '70s I saw a news story about a helicopter (Bell 47 IIRC) crash landing at an airshow in Spain - it showed the pilot jumping out and being pulverized by the damaged rotor. That image has stayed with me to this day...

[Andy in West Oz]

Lyn Forster, a restorer down here and the guy who let me get my hands dirty on his projects, told me to treat every prop as live. I'm not around active aircraft that often these days but always take a moment to remind myself of this advice when I am. Not super-keen standing in front of them either!

[mustangdriver]

I just watched an interview and in it they said that he had done a briefing with the passengers to exit and proceed toward the rear of the aircraft. Sounds like he was giving multiple rides to others. I have seen this done many times.

[phil65]

I guess it was a helicopter now?

Phil

http://www.eonline.com/news/model_laure ... topstories

[cooper9411]

One of the biggest problems, people reporting "news" before they have the actual facts. Thankfully the young lady is making progress.

[p51]

In 2000, I was going to be working with the 101st Airborne at a JRTC rotation, and we were all shown some rotary safety films and made familiar with Blackhawks (we were in a mechanized unit that hardly ever dealt with aviation). I can’t remember the film but someone caught a Joe on video, walking right into the rotors of what I think was a Pave Hawk. The video was very poor but you could see him looking over his shoulder at something, walking right toward the arc, then everything from mid-shoulders up just vaporized. No way he had a clue what had happened.
At another time I experienced a very nasty incident in an Army helicopter. I won’t go into the details, but I saw first-hand what rotors can do. Sometimes stuff just happens, let’s just say, when you’re not aircrew. Even if you’re just pax, sometimes your number comes up when you did everything right.
Props can sometimes reach out and get you on fixed-wing aircraft as well. I knew of a B-24 jock who watched a gunner get cut in half when a prop ran away and a blade went right through the fuselage. It went right on through the other side, punched through the tanks, then the remaining 9 men joined the birds, thankfully only the gunner was killed and that was instantly. And this was on a stateside training flight, he hadn’t even gotten overseas yet. No surprise that he turned out to be a very conservative pilot after that who never took any undue risks in combat.