Apprentice Technician killed in Spicejet D8 gear doors

[Officer Kite]

This poor guy, does anyone have some more confirmed info?

https://www.ibtimes.com/airline-technician-gets-stuck-landing-gear-door-dies-freak-accident-2805748?fbclid=IwAR3s9UOPjRTHsLxXJTKzVJX-OcacCEhzXMELpQ3wV5ZgB6l8s40gfWgAQI4

A senior police officer said a complaint on "unnatural death" was filed with the airport police.

"Extremely saddened to share that our technician Rohit Pandey passed away last night in an unfortunate incident at Kolkata airport. He was doing maintenance work in right hand main landing gear wheel well area of a Q400 aircraft which was parked in Bay No. 32 at airport," SpiceJet wrote in a statement early Wednesday. "Inadvertently, the main landing gear hydraulic door closed and he got stuck in between the hydraulic door flaps. The Hydraulic doors were broken to rescue Mr Pandey but he was declared dead. The entire SpiceJet family stands together in grief in this unfortunate incident."



RIP.

[421dog]

Pretty sure that picture didn’t add anything to the general Discourse...

[Pilot DAR]

We can discuss the event in general detail, the photo of the victim is not suitable for posting.

Pilot DAR

[Jet Jockey A4]

Pretty sure that picture didn’t add anything to the general Discourse...


Agreed... very sad situation.

[calypso]

Inadvertently, the main landing gear hydraulic door closed

What does that mean? Inadvertently some one closed the gear doors - actuated the closing mechanism unaware that someone was working on them - actuated another mechanism unaware that it would close the gear doors. System malfunctioned and the doors closed when they shouldn't have.

[westhawk]

This has happened many times throughout the history of aviation maintenance. Some lessons are never guaranteed to be passed on to every maintenance team member it seems. What usually happens is that, with the hydraulics not pressurized, one mechanic pulls a door down and goes into the wheel well to perform some maintenance function. Now, another individual, who is unaware of the presence of the mechanic in the wheel well, pressurizes the hydraulic system that operates the gear doors with the intent of performing some other task. It's happened all over the world at every level of outfit too, from small low-budget operators to top-drawer flag carriers.

I don't know about the Q-400 in particular, but many transport type airplanes are equipped with gear door lockout valves, safety pin accommodation or other means designed specifically to prevent this very sort of accident. And many airlines have safety policies and training requirements regarding precautions to be taken before applying electrical or hydraulic power to any airplane under their care. It's tragic every time similar workplace accidents are repeated.

It was certainly taught where I went to tech school. And again at the large MRO I worked at. And again at each type-specific mx training course I attended. But this is not universal by any means. I've worked with a number of mechanics who did not disable the gear doors before entering the wheel wells. And a fair number who didn't check around the airplane before applying power.

Luckily, the worst result of this that I ever witnessed was flaps extending into a steel mx stand because someone had moved the flap selector while the aircraft was unpowered and a mechanic applying power did not notice it. Leaving a mx stand under the flap trailing edge unattended wasn't exactly best practice either. That one was only money. Lots of money in fact, but still less important than a life.

[Bend alot]

This has happened many times throughout the history of aviation maintenance. Some lessons are never guaranteed to be passed on to every maintenance team member it seems. What usually happens is that, with the hydraulics not pressurized, one mechanic pulls a door down and goes into the wheel well to perform some maintenance function. Now, another individual, who is unaware of the presence of the mechanic in the wheel well, pressurizes the hydraulic system that operates the gear doors with the intent of performing some other task. It's happened all over the world at every level of outfit too, from small low-budget operators to top-drawer flag carriers.

I don't know about the Q-400 in particular, but many transport type airplanes are equipped with gear door lockout valves, safety pin accommodation or other means designed specifically to prevent this very sort of accident. And many airlines have safety policies and training requirements regarding precautions to be taken before applying electrical or hydraulic power to any airplane under their care. It's tragic every time similar workplace accidents are repeated.

It was certainly taught where I went to tech school. And again at the large MRO I worked at. And again at each type-specific mx training course I attended. But this is not universal by any means. I've worked with a number of mechanics who did not disable the gear doors before entering the wheel wells. And a fair number who didn't check around the airplane before applying power.

Luckily, the worst result of this that I ever witnessed was flaps extending into a steel mx stand because someone had moved the flap selector while the aircraft was unpowered and a mechanic applying power did not notice it. Leaving a mx stand under the flap trailing edge unattended wasn't exactly best practice either. That one was only money. Lots of money in fact, but still less important than a life.
Does not help when apprentices are now a source of cheap labour and reluctantly trained and terminated at end of apprenticeship.

Years ago they were trained to be the companies proud future of trade excellence of high maintenance standards and knowledge.

[134brat]

This happened about eight years ago in Birmingham when a female engineer was near fatally injured by the rear MLG doors of a Q400. It is still a very easy situation to get into and is an example of why engineers MUST communicate with each other during maintenance.

[DaveReidUK]

What does that mean? Inadvertently some one closed the gear doors - actuated the closing mechanism unaware that someone was working on them - actuated another mechanism unaware that it would close the gear doors. System malfunctioned and the doors closed when they shouldn't have.

There are two pairs of doors on the Q400 MLG. The rear pair normally only open when the gear is in transit. If you have them open on the ground for maintenance access to the bay, you want to be very sure that the door lock pin is installed before going anywhere near the doors.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/417x702/q400_mlg_door_lock_pin_b35ddd116362bebd447b08cad3bb07f4dc728 1fd.jpg

Poor kid.

[vilas]

Sad and tragic as it is it's the result of not following correct Procedures. He was retrieving something without the locking pin in position and aircraft was powered activating the doors.

[dixi188]

Very sad for this young lad.

Maybe he was retrieving the door pin.

The Q400 MLG Aft doors are hydraulically operated. They can be opened for maintenance by pulling the free fall handle in the F/D roof, but this resets as soon as it is released. If AC power is on then the SPU (AC pump) and PTU are required to close the doors.
The door lock pin should be installed when anyone is working in the MLG bay. The problem is that to fit the pin you have to be inside the bay first and if someone turns on the pump before you fit the pin, the doors will close, or, if you remove the pin you are vulnerable until you are clear of the doors.
On the line, we normally only have DC power available so the danger does not arise as no hydraulics can be powered unless an engine is running.
Occasionally we connect AC to the aircraft on the line and this is when you need your wits about you, and at 4am this can be a problem.

Be safe guys and gals.

[Station Zero]

Unfortunately seen the pictures, but with dixi188 on this.

In one of the pictures you see the AC supply connected so very probable reason for this occurrence.

[Typhoon Surfer]

In the European legacy carrier that I worked at for 30 years there was a strict 'no touch' policy taught to us pilots from day one. Meaning, it was impressed very strongly on us that if we arrived in the cockpit to find anything hydraulic 'out of place' we were not to touch it before checking with the engineer. It's basic common sense. The power of these systems is huge, and not only gear doors have killed before, but flaps and spoilers too. Likewise if a ground run was needed on any hydraulically powered equipment it was strictly the job of engineering to carry out the pressurisation procedure (co-ordinated from the cockpit with their groundcrew colleague on the headset, giving the all clear).

On leaving my old company I went to work in the Far East, and I was gobsmacked at how flippant they were about messing with the hydraulics on the ground. Not only did they expect pilots to make config changes on the ground to facilitate bolshy refuellers, but they had no laid down procedure, and no engineering support for us.
One Captain was brave enough to refuse to do it, which caused a delay. He was grounded on his return to base, and then hauled up before a 'Technical Review Board' who grilled him for his 'obstructionism' and gave him a written warning to 'use his initiative' in future.

I'm quite sure that if any pilot had used his initiative and injured someone they'd have been damn quick to blame him for acting contrary to company policy! They put nothing in writing.
Cowardly scum that they are.

Whatever the actual details of this accident, you know there's money at the bottom of it all. Safety be damned.
May the young man rest in peace.

[DeepUnderground]

Is lock out / tag out not a thing in aircraft maintenance?

[NutLoose]

That is so tragic and my condolences go out to the family, such a waste, I myself witnessed similar in the RAF when the nose doors closed on an electrician working on a Jag that had returned, I was seated in the next jet working on it and saw him lifted off the ground, luckily on the Jag the gear doors could apparently be sequenced the other way without the need to complete the full cycle, I remember it like it was yesterday, he got away with some broken ribs.

[capngrog]

Is lock out / tag out not a thing in aircraft maintenance?

No need, mate! We're professionals here and we know what we're doing and don't need some safety wonk telling us how it's to be done. We've been doing it this way for 30 years. What could happen? Buzz off!

Grog