View Full Version : SAA Dropping Body Parts
NEW YORK — A body part apparently fell from the wheel well of a plane coming in for a landing on Tuesday at John F. Kennedy Airport and landed in a suburban backyard, authorities said.
More remains were found on a South African Airways flight after it landed at Kennedy, said Tony Ciavolella, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Police suspect the remains were that of a male stowaway, the spokesman said. He would not confirm that the incidents at the airport and Long Island were related, saying, "It's still under investigation."
Messages left with South African Airways were not immediately returned.
Police in Nassau County received a call at 10:51 a.m. about a body part found in the backyard of a house. It apparently had hit the roof of a garage and bounced to the ground, said Officer Thomas Blanchard.
The South African Airways flight had originated in Johannesburg, but made one stop in Dakar, Senegal.
Gunship
7th Jun 2005, 19:05
They will never learn ... we have guards checking our aircraft till they taxi .. and they try not to stop ... :suspect:
Eischhh Efrikaaa :} :} :}
Kep Ten Jim
7th Jun 2005, 19:42
Maybe he didn't hear about the other hundreds of stowaways who have come to a sticky end hiding in wheel wells. Maybe he just thought, "I know, I'll climb into the wheel well with my sadza, Chibuku and brenket and after a few hours, jobsi, money, gels. Maybe he thought no one had thought of it before and that he was breaking ground!
Poor stupid man
SASless
7th Jun 2005, 20:51
I can hear it now...kin folk saying "Yes, we have family in New York and New Jersey."
Pontius' Pilot
8th Jun 2005, 03:58
Severed leg falls from SAA plane
07/06/2005 20:21 - (SA)
From News24
New York - A human leg fell from a South African Airways plane on to a suburban New York home on Tuesday as the aircraft prepared to land at John F Kennedy Airport.
Police said a Long Island resident living about 9km from the airport called to report that a leg with a sneaker on the foot had hit the roof of a garage and bounced into the back yard, where it was lying in the grass.
More remains were found inside the wheel well of the SAA aircraft, arriving from Johannesburg via Dakar, Senegal.
A spokesperson for the federal aviation administration, Jim Peters, said a customs agent meeting the plane discovered another leg hanging from the left-wheel well section.
South African Airways issued a statement saying that it had "a stowaway situation where remains of a human body were discovered in the wheel well of an SAA aircraft bound for New York out of Dakar, Senegal".
Heard a loud crash
The severed leg with a part of the man's torso fell on to the home of Pam Hearne, who said she heard "a loud crash" and thought at first that her neighbour was loading a van.
She discovered the leg a few hours later.
"But I am very glad that I live where I do," she said, "so I don't have to run for my life like this man probably was doing".
There have been cases of stowaways being crushed by the mechanism in aircraft wheel wells and dying from the extreme cold at high altitude.
The airways statement said: "SAA is working with the airport authorities in both the United States and Senegal to investigate this tragic event."
It offered assurances that "there was no danger to the passengers of the aircraft at any stage".
Anybody see the comments on R&N about this topic? I know its a sad story but......
Too bad he didn't make the second leg of the journey.
airlines now charge you an arm and a leg
the security officials are lucky to have a leg to stand on in their defence
Brings new meaning to "trunk route"
RIP
Shrike200
8th Jun 2005, 09:02
"But I am very glad that I live where I do," she said, "so I don't have to run for my life like this man probably was doing".
:yuk:
How did I know that this kind of moronic comment would surface? This idiots basic problem was terminal stupidity, whatever others he may have had.
Gunship
8th Jun 2005, 10:48
South African Airways was still mystified :E on Wednesday by the identity and origins of a mutilated man's body that was found in the wheel-well of one of its New York flights.
It has been reported that part of the body fell out of the aircraft as Flight SA203 lowered its wheels to land at New York's John F Kennedy airport on Tuesday.
The flight had originated in Johannesburg and landed at Dakar, Senegal, before flying across the Atlantic.
Indications were that the body was ripped apart by the wheel mechanism.
A leg, with a hip and part of a spine attached, landed on a New York woman's home and bounced onto her lawn.
It caused no apparent damage and no one else was hurt.
The rest of the remains were found in the wheel well.
It is still not known how the stowaway died.
Transatlantic flights often fly as high as 13km above the Earth, twice as high as Mount Everest.
The temperature at such heights plummet to as low as minus 50°C. There is also very little oxygen in the air up there.
An aircraft's wheel-wells are not heated or pressurised, making a stowaway's chances of survival negligible. - Sapa
From another group:
The plane infolved was ZS-SXA A340-313E
The main areas of damage are:
L/H trailing edge flap delamination and separation of material approx 24 inches.
L/H fixed gear door ( on oleo ) cracked in 2 places and dalaminated.
Wing to body fairing aft of gear door material missing.
B Sousa
8th Jun 2005, 15:06
"It is still not known how the stowaway died."
Now theres some real Rocket Science.
How about:
1. Lack of Oxygen
2. Frozen
3. Crushed and or ripped apart by wheel mechanism
In short......Suicide.
BAKELA
8th Jun 2005, 15:58
This idiots basic problem was terminal stupidity, whatever others he may have had. Was this aimed at the stowaway or SAA. Suppose both fits. Bert, could not agree more...especailly hearing all day long...all right... morning...John Robbie and his so called news editor, made this an absolute cock up on 702 in SA. They really should get somebody other than SAA to advise them about aviation matters!
I.R.PIRATE
8th Jun 2005, 16:20
Im now wondering, how long it is gonna be before some tw@t in the government or in the states, forces the operators of intercontinental aircraft to pressurise and heat the wheel wells, as well as have a hostie cruising around between the wheel bogeys to protect the HUMAN RIGHTS of stowaways.......just you wait and see....!!??:yuk: :yuk: :yuk:
B Sousa
8th Jun 2005, 16:27
IRP may have a point....Hosties serving drinks.....like a Frozen Margarita
BAKELA
8th Jun 2005, 16:34
Just heard on 702 it was a woman...a leg, pelvis and spine...apparently had no balls!like a Frozen Margarita I now believe it was a Bloody Mary.
Mr. Mod, may we now have the farts and the parts on this thread merged? But then again, SAA/Africa in general being involved...it may not be a good idea.
I.R.PIRATE
8th Jun 2005, 16:45
They should check if it wasn't maybe one of those failed SAA cadets who just couldnt find the cockpit????
BAKELA
8th Jun 2005, 17:47
I suppose it puts a new light to the term "TYRE"?maybe one of those failed SAA cadets who just couldnt find the cockpit????Are they saving on tyres or employing tyres? Maybe size counts after all! Tyre size that is.
Goldfish Jack
8th Jun 2005, 19:36
I am lost for legs, sorry words ... truly stumped.
Sorry for whoever it was - so there are other airports who also lack security like ACSAs!
Glad to hear that no-onw else was injured and that the aircraft, althoug damaged, was OK.
VanDriver2003
8th Jun 2005, 19:43
Wanted : One Senegal Female, to act as mud flap. Must me flexible and willing to travel...
Solid Rust Twotter
9th Jun 2005, 05:49
Presumably Incident/Accident/Hazard reports have been filed but will the authorities do anything about this or will it be the usual don't give a rats arse attitude? Airport security in Africa is a joke with pedestrians and vehicles crossing runways and inside airport boundaries virtually unimpeded.:*
Of course, if you hit one and stop, you're f:mad:d as the local authorities will milk it for all it's worth.:yuk:
It will never change either! As soon as some foreign NGO or Government sponsors a perimeter fence, it either doesn't get put up or disappears soon after being put up and ends up as a kraal for somebodys goats somewhere. Same old story........
Cessnafan
9th Jun 2005, 20:59
Same thing happened with Cameroon Airlines beginning 2004, except the body fell out of the gear well just after rotation out of Douala
V1 Rotate
9th Jun 2005, 21:18
How often does this happen anyway????
Maybe the answer would be to cycle the gear a couple of times on the initial climb:yuk: :yuk: :yuk:
V1:E :E
I.R.PIRATE
11th Jun 2005, 09:52
Ive got a bunch of pics of the damage cause by the free-flyer/free-faller....let me know how to post them, and they'll up here in a sec. Thanks
Shrike200
11th Jun 2005, 10:41
Try www.photobucket.com
You can upload them, but with a max file size of 250 kb I think, so shrink them with something like irfanview (or something similiar) first. Then just post the links here. I for one would be very interested in seeing what kind of damage an event like this can cause. We await your results!
Gunship
11th Jun 2005, 11:13
Click here for the pictures (http://community.webshots.com/user/idoitmyway69)
Cheers,
Gunss
Goldryder
11th Jun 2005, 11:22
They are horrific. The lengths people will go to in order to escape their country is quite astounding.
Gunship
11th Jun 2005, 11:39
Here is a DIRECT LINK TO THE PHOTO's (http://community.webshots.com/album/366462456wazdHp) :ok:
B Sousa
11th Jun 2005, 13:43
Great shots Guns, but it looks like your drinking............Beer......not Tassies
And its obviously not a Boeing 747. Boeing can with stand airmailing stowaways.......without damage.
Whereyouwannago
11th Jun 2005, 15:51
What is that hanging out of the wheel well door?.....Is that the stowaway??
BAKELA
11th Jun 2005, 16:30
Whereyouwanngo, looks like that was (is) the leftovers...the rest was throwaway...
If it wasn't so grim, could have sworn one of the pax or hosties had to much chilli to chow. But then, the craphole ain't that close to the u/c bay is it.
Just proves to show what SAA's legroom in economy drives pax to, doesn't it? :ugh:
GULF69
13th Jun 2005, 14:38
Not for those with sensitive stomachs...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/TIAAN/saastowawaydamage006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/TIAAN/saastowawaydamage004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/TIAAN/saastowawaydamage003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/TIAAN/saastowawaydamage001.jpg
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