[simpits-chat] Uh Oh Oh

[Rob Hommel]

Allen

This is not an unusual accident and while it doesn't happen everyday it does
happen frequently. There is even cases of what is described as hypnosis when
folks simply walk into the prop and they can see it. An ex-soldier who I
know while serving with the US Army in Viet Nam told me of an incident in
which a friend walked into the tail rotor of a huey and a second soldier
just followed him into it.

The world of aviation is fraught with hazards and people need to be careful
when moving among aircraft.

Keep 'em Flying
Rob Hommel
----- Original Message -----
From: "Allen Buffington" <allen@simworld.biz>
To: <simpits-chat@simpits.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 10:02 PM
Subject: Re: [simpits-chat] Uh Oh Oh


> It's not hard for me to see how this could happen. It was dark out and a
moving
> propeller is sometimes impossible to see even during daylight hours.
>
> Back in the early 1980's I was working as an aircraft refueler for one of
the
> local airport FBO's. I had just refueled a twin engine turboprop MU2 which
has
> the wing above the fuselage. After the pilot had started the engines I
walked
> around the wing tip and removed the wheel chocks from the main landing
gear
> wheel and was going to walk back out to the front of the aircraft to
visually
> show the pilot that I had removed the chocks when suddenly I realized that
my
> face was within only 18" to 20" from the spinning propeller...Instead of
walking
> back out to the wing tip to get in front of the plane I simply turned
straight
> toward the front. My guardian angel was looking out for me that day. I
could not
> feel any backwash of wind from the propeller because it was fully
feathered and
> I could not see the propeller due to the high speed RPM's. One more step
is all
> I would have needed to take and I would not be here writing this. A very
close
> call and a real eye-opener. I certainly made a greater effort to know
where I
> was in my surroundings after that.
> ~~Allen
>
> Rob Hommel wrote:
>
> > Federal reserve employee killed in propeller accident
> >
> > The Associated Press
> > 1/28/03 9:06 AM
> >
> > CLEVELAND (AP) -- A federal reserve employee was killed early Tuesday
when
> > he walked into a moving airplane propeller at Burke Lakefront Airport.
> >
> > The 23-year-old man, whose name was not released, had finished loading a
> > twin-engine, high-wing aircraft about 12:30 a.m., then started loading a
> > second airplane, airport commissioner Kahlid Bahhur said.
> >
> > The pilot in the first airplane was given permission to move and started
the
> > engines, Bahhur said. The worker then returned to the first airplane and
ran
> > into the propeller.
> >
> > "We're trying to figure out why he came back to the first airplane,"
Bahhur
> > said.
> >
> > The Federal Aviation Administration and police were investigating.
> >
> > This doesn't sound like a good thing
> >
> > Keep 'em Flying
> >
> > Rob Hommel
> >
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