More info regarding the girl being hit here:
Coroner: Crash survivor was run over - SFGate
They say they have no idea how she ended up in the location where she was hit - which would appear to be between between the leading edge of the left wing and the escape slide. She had been sitting near the back of the plane with the other girl who was thrown from the plane and killed.
The question remains about the other girl killed - the one hit by the vehicle. If she was ejected or otherwise exited through the rear, then either she walked or someone carried her to the position where she was struck. I'd suppose it's also possible someone could have carried her down the slide, then laid her down in what they thought was a safe place in order to go help someone else.
Secondly, I'm pi$$ed at those criticizing the airport fire crew that ran over the passenger. Without wanting to second-guess the outcome of the inquiry concerning that aspect of the accident, I would not be surprised in the slightest if that event is the part of it that will indeed be termed an accident. (As in: unavoidable.)
If, as the plane rotated, she was ejected out the back while the fuselage spun away counter clockwise, leaving her to the left side in front of the wing. Might explain that no one saw her get out the slide....also perhaps she was incapacitated and unable to get up and away from the on coming vehicles...
All conjecture of course. Terribly sad.
I made an initial post on this
here ...
Which led me to do a detailed review of the photo evidence and videos
here
I documented the time line and actions of the fire response team, primarily to look at the circumstances of the young girl's being run over. My initial gut feel when I first saw the video was that fire trucks were unorganized and were literally driving thru the escaping passengers forcing some to scramble it seemed to avoid the trucks.
What I saw initiallyprompted my much
more detailed review.
I gathered as much hi-rez photo evidence as possible, and then reviewed the invaluable amateur video - which captured from seconds after the airframe came to rest (even before slides were deployed) until appx 11+ minutes - in a contiguous uninterrupted block - then another many minutes sequence after a short break to apparently change SD cards.
I started out trying to determine what the evidence showed regarding the tragic situation with this young girl. By the time I was done several hours later, the incident response plan and training - the appearance of lack of organization, the failure to muster an emergency response throughout the
entire scene, and the seeming complete inability to manage the fire once it got into the fuselage - had become, to me at least, another issue on top of the girls death.
In my
opinion, admittedly from a layman, but with significant disaster response/emergency preparedness training ... :
(a.) it is inexcusable that this girl was run over - it could not have occurred until some 11+ minutes after the impact as:
(1)video shows no fire truck went that close to the aircraft before that, and most certainly did not approach that close to the aircraft in the direction the tire tracks over the girl showed,
(2) no foam at all was deployed for many minutes, until well after almost all pax escape activity in the area was over, and then only minimal isolated foam under the wing was deployed until more than 12+ minutes after the crash when the fuselage became engulfed in fire,
(3) the SAME fire truck was on station from minutes after the crash - in the the same vicinity as, and with an excellent view of, where the girl was run over - from before any foam was applied. The video shows this truck sat largely stationary (with a few changes of position,) with the cab within 30-50 feet away and facing the location where the girl was run over, from a few minutes after impact until it finally ran out of foam apx 17 minutes after the crash.
(4) this same truck monitored this area - to left side of aircraft, facing the left wing and rearmost forward slide - for the entire period, was the fire truck to apply the minimal targeted initial foam under the wing pylon, also was the truck that applied more significant foam after the fuselage became fully engaged, and by appearances, was also likely the truck that ran over the girl
(5) some have noted an early photo by an evac'ing PAX that seems to show some debris near where the girl was - yet later similar PAX photos show large numbers of people standing in same spot as the de-planed down the slide. If an injured young girl was there it is inconceivable to me all these people were ignoring her
(b.) the fire response appeared, to me at best, haphazard and disorganized, as:
(1) the initial trucks to arrive clearly appear to have driven thru streams of evac'ing PAX - and appear to have caused some to take action to get out of the way. This despite there being no evidence of fire on that left side of the aircraft,
(2) initial arriving trucks did not seem to have a clear plan - they got to the aircraft then some bunched up, then some drove back and forth. I understand they were likely looking for fire etc, however it would seem, with the admitted advantage of hindsight, that every truck should have a clearly delineated position, with the trucks initially ringing the aircraft.
(3) Despite the lack of fire on left side (there was no fire on left side, and no fire in the fuselage by all appearances, until something more than 12+ minutes after the crash), and passengers on the ground initially, NO truck had an outside spotter,
(4)This seems a serious safety breech. It may not have prevented the death - as once the fuselage was engulfed in flame it would probably have been deemed unsafe to have a spotter on foot outside, however had they had a spotter on the ground in the 12+ minutes
before flames erupted, understanding the same truck was in roughly that same spot very near, and with good view of, the girls location, it seems
unlikely she would
not have been seen before the truck began the large scale foaming, more than 12 minutes after the crash.
(5) this same truck is the one that sprayed all the foam on the left side (until more than 18 or so minutes had passed when it ran out of foam) - they would have been the same truck that covered the girl in foam
(6) once the fuselage was fully engaged in fire it seemed clear the fire crews had no useful training in fighting that type fire. With fire burning thru the top of the rounded fuselage, trucks on both sides of the aircraft tried to shoot foam at top of the airframe, with almost all of it simply spraying over the top to no effect. They continued this until multiple trucks used up all their foam.
(7) each truck is equipped with an extendable boom for exactly this purpose - so they can attack the fire from above, at an angle that gets foam on the fire. Only one truck - on right side, appeared to have deployed its boom. The truck in question on the left side appeared to try to deploy their boom, but it appeared it may not have been operational as it never sprayed foam.
(8) Admittedly with hindsight again, but assuming their booms were all inoperative, the way to attack the fire to me seemed to be they had to get to rear of fuselage and spray foam along its length - which would get into the top of fuselage where fire was. After two of the trucks on opposing sides exhausted, largely wasting, their entire foam supply shooting perpendicular to the airframe one truck did position at the tail and was having more success.
You can see all this for yourself if you wish, and make your own assessment - watch the
video noted in my
past post on this noted above.
I think its important to realize the fire in the fuselage did not occur until more than 12+ minutes after the crash. The fire initially seen was on right side of aircraft, I'm assuming related to the engine there. This was largely under control by all appearances from the photos and videos as the 1st video ended at 11+ minutes. When 2nd video started (after presumably an SD card change) the fuselage had caught fire.
A few more things - there really wasn't "chaos" if you watch the video or look at the pics. The crew in that fire truck largely sat looking at the side of the aircraft, and simply observed for most of the first 11+ minutes.
More importantly - they had a pretty much clear view of the slide. If someone was brought down the slide and laid down there - that occurred well after most passengers were off - and the fire crew should have seen it.
Again, I believe it impossible the girl could have been there from the beginning as pics show a large number of people standing in that area during the evac. Someone would have been seen helping the girl.
The aerial and other pics show there is also almost NO debris ahead of the aircraft - on the left side or ahead of the left wing. I believe simple physics along with that evidence makes it all but impossible she was thrown there in initial crash. And other PAX and the fire crew both should have seen her in the 11+ minutes before the truck appears to have run over her.
These are simply my observations and opinions after reviewing the available evidence in some detail. They have the admitted benefit of hindsight. They may well be wrong. They are intended to be illustrative, observational and constructive and not to attack those persons involved. Other facts may emerge that offer additional insight, but there is a large body of evidence available already including a mostly continuous video of the scene.
I must admit, my informed opinion is the death of the girl does seem inexcusable to me. And I sincerely hope the fire department does a similar review and looks at how they can better respond. If that fire had occurred earlier would could have had a situation where a lot of people survived the crash only to perish in fire.
Last - I think seeing how the airframe burned raises important questions. Both this instance and the Ethiopian 777 fire showed similar traits - It seems clear a few more minutes at the Etiopian fire could have looked much like this one. Once fully engaged the Ariana fire burned strongly. It seems a review of flammability of composite airframes should be in order.
Again - please read my
more detailed review which give minute by minute timeline and includes links to the photos and videos discussed.