Man trapped in Cargo Hold.....tabloid!

[airbourne]

Now Im not gonna write the whole thing out, cos its just a waste of space and proof (if we didnt need it) that tabloids havnt a clue!

An Aer Lingus baggage handler had a last minute escape as a plane bound for New York prepared to take off, with him trapped in the cargo hold.

The incident happened yesterday morning at Dublin airport as flight EI105 was preparing to leave for JFK.

The frantic worker tried banginf ont he door of the luggage hold but the noise of the planes engines drowned out his efforts.

The BOEING (yes, its says Boeing) plane moved off its stand and had started to taxi towards the runway.

But the quick-thinking worker had his mobile phone and took a chance that he would get a signal inside the hold. He rand his collegues and told them of his prediciament. The a/c was stopped and he got out, the flight was delayed by about 20 mins.

A source told 'the star' he was 'very lucky'

Thrers more, but my hands are sore from typing such crap! Just for the record, was it 1993 that Aer Lingus stopped flying t/a with Boeing a/c?

Ah, you got to love the tabloids!!

[The African Dude]

Boeing, Airbus, whatever - if the cargo heating wasn't switched on he saved his own neck in the nick of time! Sounds like a fun story. At least it's not slating someone like the normal tabloid crap! :}

[Airbubba]

Over the years, some of the trapped baggage handlers do make it airborne. It is not uncommon to have someone nap in the cargo hold while waiting for the last bags.

Eastern had a case in MIA in the late 80's as I recall.

FedEx had a loader accidentally ride in the hold of a 727 a few years ago and the company dispatched a corporate jet to retrieve him.

UPS had a loader accidentally cross the Pacific in a 747 a while back I'm told.

[Harry Faversham]

Good human interest story, the type of aircraft pretty irrelevent to the average reader.

Airborne you need to chill out a little.

[zerozero]

But wouldn't it be better to install an intercom in the compartment?

[Phil Hudson]

But wouldn't it be better to install an intercom in the compartment?

Sure, that way the (Un)happy baggage handler could order some food and drinks crossing the dam. :}

[False Capture]

Whilst on the subject of intercoms, ground-crew and being airborne.
Some years ago, we were in the cruise at FL310 when the 'GROUND CALL' light illuminated. This conjured up visions of some poor sod clinging-on for dear life. I looked at the First Officer in disbelief and said "you sure we got visual clearance from the ground-crew?"
A few days later someone else flying the same a/c complained when the 'GROUND CALL' light illuminated at about 1000' during the approach.:=

[Fris B. Fairing]

Reminds me of a loader who got locked in the rear hold of a DC-8 in pre-mobile days. He had the presence of mind to "burrow" his way aft so he could pound his fists under the galley floor.

[hobie]

type of aircraft pretty irrelevent to the average reader

Not on PPRuNe surely :cool: ..... we all know EI only run Buses on the Atlantic routes and have done for Donkey's years :p

[javelin]

Sorry folks, the Airbus holds are pressurised and normally heated, you have to force cool them to get them below 10c and that's usually done only when carrying perishables. Likely he would have been bored and thirsty by the time he got to NY, that's about all.

[Idunno]

I'll hazard a guess that he was in the BULK hold - not the main cargo holds. Its common practice for one handler to be in the bulk hold to manhandle loose bags into position. Theres little need for a handler to be in the main cargo bays as the bags are loaded by igloo, and the whole process is mechanized.

I'll also hazard a guess that this hero was having a snooze on some comfy bags, and his mates either forgot him - or 'forgot him' (if you get my meaning). Maybe he's not popular with the lads?

Bulk holds in A330's are heated. Animals (dogs/cats) are regularly carried in the bulk holds of Airbusses.
So no big deal - he'd have lived to tell the tale even if he wasn't found until NY.

Unless he has a very good excuse - the fecker should be sacked for falling asleep on the job, and endangering an aircraft.

[Curious Pax]

Entirely agree with you Idunno until your last 3 words - how exactly was he endangering the aircraft?

[BALIX]

Not totally unrelated but a few years back I got a message to pass on to the crew of an MD11 of an American airline that was out of LHR heading across the pond, somewhere in the vicinity of the Outer Hebrides. The message was to turn the heating on in hold number two as there were a couple of dogs in it.

I sincerely hope the hold warmed up quickly enough to defrost the poor muts :ooh:

[lomapaseo]

Entirely agree with you Idunno until your last 3 words - how exactly was he endangering the aircraft?

he could have gone mad and started chewing up the aircraft wires. It's happened before

[Idunno]

Yes - exactly.

Seriously though - if 'banging' was to be heard from below the rear galley floor somewhere over the Atlantic, or N.Canada, perhaps a decision to divert would have had to result. Thus requiring the a/c to get off the NAT tracks safely and land in some god-foresaken strip of concrete in the grips of deep winter.

Every landing carries risk, and an extra landing - especially in difficult conditions - means ADDED UNNECESSARY RISK.

Ergo - sack the bugger.

[Leezyjet]

Theres little need for a handler to be in the main cargo bays as the bags are loaded by igloo, and the whole process is mechanized.

Someone still needs to go in there to lock the ULD's into position otherwise they will slide around in the hold. That bit isn't mechanised. It's not uncommon for them to have a "rest" in the main cargo bay while they are waiting for the rest of the load to arrive.

:)

[millerscourt]

Many years ago when on B707's with Kuwait Airways we for the first few years always did our base checks on the aircraft. We got airborne with full fuel and about three of us for checks doing circuits and go arounds when we heard a banging noise. The F/E went down to the Lower 41 and peered through into the cargo hold and saw a pair of eyes staring at him. We landed and let out a Baluchi baggage loader who had gone in to get out of the sun. We couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the exercise

[Wake Turbulence]

how exactly was he endangering the aircraft?

Re-read the OP, the bag handler switched on his mobile and made a call while the a/c was underway! :uhoh: :}

[Clipper7]

I remember hearing a story of two guys who got locked in the compartment of a 757 - forgot which airline and where. Somebody noticed they were missing before the plane left the gate but in an interview they said they had planned on putting a lighter (lid cigarette) to the smoke detector in the hold to raise the alarm - something that would no doubt have killed them since the first reaction of a fire system is to suck out all the oxygen in the affected area.

[3PARA]

Some years ago now a friend of mine got locked in the hold of a Bae 146 while tying down radioactive cargo. Being new to the job He thought it was a wind up until He felt the a/c push back. Lying on His back He started kicking the roof & yelling. As the a/c taxied a pax pressed the call button & told the cabin crew She thought she could hear someone banging underneath. The Hostie dismissed her concerns by saying it was just the a/c going over the joins in the concrete on the taxiway. The pax pressed the call button a second time & said "excuse Me dear but do the joins in the concrete go for f:mad: ck sake let Me out" :p friend spent next 3 days dodging tabloid journos

[Nov71]

Perhaps he found some 'confused' RYR pax travelling on the cheapest fare?

[skol]

Years ago (decades actually) I was working for a pacific airline and arrived in Port Moresby. Political correctness was not the order of the day and some of the (expatriate) staff were busy having lots of fun at the expense of a hapless local who had got locked in the hold of a 727 and just arrived back from BNE.

[Airbubba]

Another episode...
_____________________________________

The Times February 03, 2006

Baggage handler trapped in hold

By A Correspondent

A weary Saudi airport worker took an unwanted free flight to Turkey when he fell asleep in the hold of a Turkish Airlines aircraft bringing pilgrims home from Jedda, officials said yesterday.
The man, Muhammad Ahmed Mursi, 30, was taken to hospital with pneumonia after nearly freezing to death in the hold during the three-hour flight from Jedda to Diyarbakir, southeast Turkey, late on Wednesday.

“The patient was in a panic,” Yusuf Yagmur, his doctor, said. “He is well now, but will stay in hospital for several days.”

Mr Mursi, who said that he fell asleep from exhaustion while loading luggage, woke up only after the aircraft took off and the temperature dropped sharply where he was.

He banged on the walls of the hold and the crew, realising that someone must be travelling below, began to heat the area, saving him from almost certain death, airport officials said.

[FlapsOne]

Re-read the OP, the bag handler switched on his mobile and made a call while the a/c was underway!
It was on the ground!...........hardly a 'danger'.

[jeff748]

CYEG

Had an "All clear-ready for push-back" from the Ground Handler and was just waiting for the APU to come up to speed when there was an amazing rythmic pounding coming from the fwd belly.
Mentioned this to the girl on the headset so they checked it out.
One very pissed off baggage guy climbed out of the plane... Seems the door was closed when he was behind some bags so he was not visable.
The guy in the belly thought it was a practical joke and figured he would "out wait" his crew but when he heard the APU start up that's when the joke was over and he started to panic.
After that incident the YEG ground crew required a "head-count" before push-back...

What if:
The baggage handler had completed the flight in the belly?
or...
He had been injured on rotation, landing, or worse an RTO?:ouch:
or, or, or...
Who's head would roll? Take a W.A.G.!:uhoh:

[Dude~]

When I worked loading the 747 freighter it often crossed my mind about being shut in as the main holds are quite long and it is easy to be completely hidden from where the hold door controls are situated on the fuesalage.

I always used to check the instruction on the inside of the hold doors for the opening instructions in case someone shut the door. That way I would have unlocked or opened the door and the crew would see a door unlocked warning and would have to return to the stand.

In hold 5, the bulk hold in the rear of the 747 the door is a very simple plug door that opens inwards and has a big lever on the inside. I used to close it from the inside during delays in windy cold weather. Even if you can't get out you atill have switches for lights, fans and heating controls on the inside, plus crew intercomms so you'd have to be very unlucky to not attract attention. :)

[clicker]

Slightly off topic but when I worked for Transamerica many years ago I received a sita saying "TV743 delayed LFPG due to wildcat strike".

First reaction was to ring our agents to ask why were they striking to be told that all the agents were working but the problem was due to a feline type wildcat that had somehow got into the hold of the 747 biting a loader who had opened the hold door.

It took 2 hours to catch the rather hissed off feline that had fun and games in and out of the baggage!

[dc8driver@night]

Over the years, some of the trapped baggage handlers do make it airborne. It is not uncommon to have someone nap in the cargo hold while waiting for the last bags.
Eastern had a case in MIA in the late 80's as I recall.
FedEx had a loader accidentally ride in the hold of a 727 a few years ago and the company dispatched a corporate jet to retrieve him.
UPS had a loader accidentally cross the Pacific in a 747 a while back I'm told.


Airbubba: Don't know who said it about UPS, but I don’t think it's true. I have been here since the beginning and I have never heard anything about it and believe me, that is something that I would have heard of as I get all of the dirt eventually. Beside, if he had, UPS would have charged him "Full Fare"!

[Airbubba]

>>...I have been here since the beginning and I have never heard anything about it and believe me, that is something that I would have heard of as I get all of the dirt eventually.<<

You might want to ask around a little more on that one with your whale buddies and report back...