I once brought an unfortunate victim into Sumburgh Airport in a Bolkow. After landing, I was called to the local Customs and Excise office and asked if the victim had been declared dead offshore. I said that I did not know and asked why this was an issue for Customs & Excise.
The reply was along the lines of, if he had been declared dead the body should have been manifested as freight. If not, he should have been named on the passenger manifest. The Customs officer was not amused when I asked if it would make a difference to his Duty Free allowance.
PS. Why do many aviation people still refer to "SOB" (Souls on Board) when all official documentation including Flight Plan forms ask for "POB" (Persons on Board)? I assume it goes back to Titanic days when the newspaper headline would have been
1517 SOULS LOST AT SEA
or in the case of the Aberdeen Press & Journal
ABERDEEN MAN LOST AT SEA 1516 other also lost
Last edited by HughMartin; 10th Jan 2010 at 22:33.