Southwest 737 strikes person on runway in Austin

[tiger9999187]

Not many details yet.

https://twitter.com/AUStinAirport/status/1258582290625683458

https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status/1258583809232179200

[Airbubba]

Edited LiveATC.net audio.

.zip file will open on most computers, not on most phones or tablets.

[tiger9999187]

https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2020/05/08/a-southwest-airlines-plane-hit-and-killed-a-person-as-it-landed-at-austin-airport-on-thursday-night/

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x497/689d46b1_dfa9_4dae_8e74_8be3101b0b67_cecf7a31b4097ef260524e6 79d853e741380791b.jpeg

[fox niner]

Could this be a suicide? Brought on by the covid layoffs? Pure speculation of course, but since this happened in the usa with all their security, in stead of an african nation, it does come to mind.

[hoss183]

Clearly suicide, and with all sympathies to the individual, what a selfish way to do it.
I had a buddy who was Transport Police - he told me a few tales of railway suicides. Firstly the poor BTP guys had to hunt for all of the bits, and the drivers would often need counselling and be affected for a long time. The last i heard he was on long t term leave for PTSD.
So my sympathies not to the ingested, but to the drivers.

[ATC Watcher]

Do not know how the fencing is done in Austin , but climbing over a simple fence and running is not that complicated and even if detected can take a while to stop . In San Jose Costa Rica domestic airport , just outside the fence is a large psychiatric hospital , it not uncommon to have patients escaping and jumping the fence and wandering on the runway, fortunately they have bright colored overalls,so they can be spotted early. but not so much if a night :(

[lomapaseo]

I don't recall ever seeing a dent in an inlet cowl of that magnitude

[iggy]

I don't recall ever seeing a dent in an inlet cowl of that magnitude

https://patch.com/texas/across-tx/texas-ranked-among-fattest-states-u-s-2018

[hoss183]

I don't recall ever seeing a dent in an inlet cowl of that magnitude
Bird strike test spec 1.8kg
Suicidal texan circa 100kg

[Una Due Tfc]

Clearly suicide, and with all sympathies to the individual, what a selfish way to do it.
I had a buddy who was Transport Police - he told me a few tales of railway suicides. Firstly the poor BTP guys had to hunt for all of the bits, and the drivers would often need counselling and be affected for a long time. The last i heard he was on long t term leave for PTSD.
So my sympathies not to the ingested, but to the drivers.

It’s one of the reasons why train drivers are still highly paid here in Ireland, because of what they have to go through when someone throws themselves off the platform.

[Auxtank]

The damage looks more like it hit a vehicle.

[DaveReidUK]

Clearly suicide

How do you know that ?

[Sailvi767]

Blimey, very sad. Never been to Austin but I’d be intrigued to see how one manages to get to the runway..

Happened in ATL a few years ago.


https://youtu.be/rBumkXXklas

[Airbubba]

Listening to the Travis County EMS communications on radioreference.com it appears that they found an approximately 30 year-old male, 'obvious DOA'. There was some minor confusion about access to the scene for the med units for the pronouncement.

[DaveReidUK]

Happened in ATL a few years ago.

If yesterday's victim had got onto the runway by exiting from an aircraft, I think we'd know by now.

[capngrog]

Do not know how the fencing is done in Austin , but climbing over a simple fence and running is not that complicated and even if detected can take a while to stop . In San Jose Costa Rica domestic airport , just outside the fence is a large psychiatric hospital , it not uncommon to have patients escaping and jumping the fence and wandering on the runway, fortunately they have bright colored overalls,so they can be spotted early. but not so much if a night :(

In the U.S., the FAA establishes requirements for airport perimeter security fencing. Generally, a minimum of 8ft. high chain link fencing topped by 2ft. of barbed wire is required, and the barbed wire leans outward at a 45 degree angle. Climbing over such a fence would be a real challenge, and "jumping the fence" would be a feat of Olympic caliber. As with most security measures, almost any can be compromised or defeated, but hopefully the trespasser would be sufficiently slowed that security personnel could take appropriate action. One cannot just innocently wander onto an airport property and then stroll onto an active runway. Significant effort is usually required to defeat airport security, and the casual or "innocent" individual is usually deterred.

Cheers,
Grog

[Euclideanplane]

If yesterday's victim had got onto the runway by exiting from an aircraft, I think we'd know by now.
Jhyrin Jones (19) did first climb a fence around Hartsfield-Jackson before climbing onto the wing of an aircraft on a taxiway. The initial report that he had been a passenger of the plane and had used an exit door was incorrect.

[Airbubba]

Jhyrin Jones (19) did first climb a fence around Hartsfield-Jackson before climbing onto the wing of an aircraft on a taxiway. The initial report that he had been a passenger of the plane and had used an exit door was incorrect.

More on the 2018 ATL incident.

After scaling a barbed wire fence, a 19-year-old Georgia man ran across the tarmac at Atlanta’s busy airport and pulled himself up onto the wing of a Delta jet and began pounding on the aircraft’s windows as shocked passengers watched from inside.

Jhyrin Jones, 19, was arrested yesterday afternoon minutes after running up to the airplane, which had just arrived from Miami. Jones, who had stripped to his underwear, gestured to passengers while ranting incoherently.

As seen above, at one point, the agitated Jones mounted one of the jet’s wings and began pacing and banging on cabin windows (as travelers photographed his bizarre antics).

Jones was subsequently subdued by airport police and charged with trespassing, damage to property, and obstruction of law enforcement. He was also hit with a public indecency count for allegedly exposing himself to the plane’s stunned passengers and crew.

During a court hearing this morning, a judge set Jones’s bond at $18,000. Jones is pictured below on a Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport runway and in court today.

Crazed Man Jumps Atlanta Airport Fence, Climbs Atop Wing Of Packed Delta Jet | The Smoking Gun (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/airplanes/man-on-plane-wing-809456)

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1082x1080/jhyrinclimbing_large__0dc0fb3a72b0f816f8e54033de95c0e47a2759 2f.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1080x1434/manonwing18_large__2923c7d37d7e423487e9fee8e5e768a52260e412. jpg

[neilki]

How do you know that ?
Jungle Drums (OK, WhatsApp) speak of a suicide note discovered.
I hope this poor individual wasn't a recently furloughed airport worker. As a weekly or more visitor to the South Terminal in AUS I've met some lovely folks there..

[tdracer]

Clearly suicide, and with all sympathies to the individual, what a selfish way to do it.
I had a buddy who was Transport Police - he told me a few tales of railway suicides. Firstly the poor BTP guys had to hunt for all of the bits, and the drivers would often need counselling and be affected for a long time. The last i heard he was on long t term leave for PTSD.
So my sympathies not to the ingested, but to the drivers.

Suicidal people seldom consider how their actions might affect others - Andreas Lubitz (Germanwings) being an extreme example.
My sister's husband was a locomotive engineer (now retired) His train once hit an auto in what was believed to be suicide attempt. The driver of the auto survived (the train wasn't going very fast at the time), but according to my sister her hubby took it quite hard with nightmares and the like for many months afterward.

[Sailvi767]

If yesterday's victim had got onto the runway by exiting from an aircraft, I think we'd know by now.

The ATL guy scaled a fence to get on the taxiway.

[Airbubba]

From social media a supposed picture of work on the Southwest AUS plane the next day. Is this a new cowling perhaps?

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1200x799/exikyynxkae4gdg_f00ffebdaf086ddbda8ed7e4f9cd0d868c702639.jpg

[DaveReidUK]

Is this a new cowling perhaps?

Probably. Either that, or SWA employs some very skilled panel-beaters, :O

[FrontSeatPhil]

Clearly suicide, and with all sympathies to the individual, what a selfish way to do it.
I had a buddy who was Transport Police - he told me a few tales of railway suicides. Firstly the poor BTP guys had to hunt for all of the bits, and the drivers would often need counselling and be affected for a long time. The last i heard he was on long t term leave for PTSD.
So my sympathies not to the ingested, but to the drivers.

And this is why mental health is still such a taboo subject for so many people :rolleyes:

Assuming this was suicide, the person involved was literally mentally ill - there would have been no reasoning, just a route to end what was perceived as suffering. That usually means feeling that the world and their family is better off without them, not that they specifically don't want to live. To that person, at that time, they're anything but selfish - they're doing this for all the right reasons, however skewed they may be.

I have complete and utter sympathy for those left to pick up the pieces, both physically and emotionally, but to blame the person involved is unfair.

[Long Haul]

My sympathies to the crew involved, not the way they were expecting their day to turn out.

[lomapaseo]

Probably. Either that, or SWA employs some very skilled panel-beaters, :O


Looks to me like they are preparing to remove the engine and give it over to the coroner. The cowling that took the beating is still attached but mostly hidden in the pix

[Airbubba]

Looks to me like they are preparing to remove the engine and give it over to the coroner.

Is that really the protocol?

[DaveReidUK]

Looks to me like they are preparing to remove the engine and give it over to the coroner. The cowling that took the beating is still attached but mostly hidden in the pix

None of the panels pictured in post #22 have hit anything.

[hunbet]

The picture is obviously photo-shopped.

[stoneangel]

we don't see anything on the pics...

[lomapaseo]

Is that really the protocol?

I can't bring myself to use the word "protocol" based on my limited experience in these ,matters in the USA. Other countries ????

The problem I have seen is that the overhaul shops don't like accepting the job nor how "some" coroners feel about the mishandling of human remains. YMMV but I typically avoid getting into such details

[tdracer]

Human ingestion on large turbofans is surprisingly rare - last number I saw was something like once every ten years, worldwide. So I'd be a bit surprised if there is an established protocol for something that happens so rarely (and it's not like the cause of death is in question).
Interestingly, ingestion events were far more common with the low bypass fans (e.g. JT8D) - there used to be more than one a year (although not always fatal since there were inlet guide vanes that kept them out of the fan). Apparently those big fans make people wary enough that they stay well clear?

[West Coast]

Human ingestion on large turbofans is surprisingly rare - last number I saw was something like once every ten years, worldwide. So I'd be a bit surprised if there is an established protocol for something that happens so rarely (and it's not like the cause of death is in question).
Interestingly, ingestion events were far more common with the low bypass fans (e.g. JT8D) - there used to be more than one a year (although not always fatal since there were inlet guide vanes that kept them out of the fan). Apparently those big fans make people wary enough that they stay well clear?

Last one I remember was ELP on a MX run.

[capngrog]

Is that really the protocol?

As tdracer pointed out above, jet engine human ingestion is pretty rare, and there would probably be no over-all (macro) protocol to handle such a situation; however, embedded in a 'macro' protocol would be numerous minor protocols to deal with the details of the investigation. Examples of the so-called minor protocols would include such things as chain-of-custody/evidence, incident scene documentation, site preservation, site safety etc. and would all be part of the overall investigation. General guidelines or protocols are established for different circumstances, but those circumstances can vary so much that they would not be considered to be reasonably foreseeable. Often a body is recovered by a law enforcement agency and then transferred to the jurisdiction of the medical examiner; however, at a stable incident site (such as the one that is the subject of this thread), the body usually must be released by the Medical Examiner.

As to lomopaseo's suggestion that the entire engine could be removed and given to the Medical Examiner, that would be entirely possible. For example, in my experience in working with the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office, I've seen entire automobiles (human remains in situ) taken to the medical examiner's facility. In the case of the subject jet engine (CF-56 ?), my guess is that both police and medical examiner personnel would witness the tear down at a maintenance facility, gathering evidence as the tear down proceeded. As pointed out by lomapaseo, this would not be something the average jet engine mechanic routinely encounters and would be very stressful.

Just my "two-cents".

Cheers,
Grog

[Airbubba]

Human ingestion on large turbofans is surprisingly rare - last number I saw was something like once every ten years, worldwide. So I'd be a bit surprised if there is an established protocol for something that happens so rarely (and it's not like the cause of death is in question).

I was doubting that the engine would be removed and turned over to the coroner (though in Texas, they still have some independence in their state laws from my experience).

If the ingestion rate has really dropped to once a decade I'd be surprised. The numbers for the 737 family alone were higher in the Boeing article linked below.

From a 2008 Boeing article:

Airline and airport employees work around commercial airliners every day throughout the world without incident. However, neglecting to stay out of the engine inlet hazard areas or complacency working near operating engines can result in severe injury or death.

There have been 33 reported ingestions of personnel into an engine on 737*-100/*200 airplanes since 1969. Several of these ingestions caused serious injuries and one resulted in a fatality. There have also been four reports of fatal ingestion incidents on 737*-300/*400/*500 and next* generation 737 airplanes. The most recent fatalities occurred in 2006.


http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/articles/qtr_3_08/article_04_1.html

Here's an earlier thread with discussions of human ingestion mishaps at BOM and ELP:

https://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/571990-air-india-engineer-sucked-into-aircraft-engine-mumbai.html

In both the BOM and ELP incidents engine thrust was above idle on the ground.

In one of my posts on the thread linked above I mentioned that I had heard two versions of the disposition of an engine with the only recovered remains of some pax in a United 747 cargo door failure out of HNL:

In the 1989 United 811 B-747 cargo door failure out of HNL several passengers were ejected from the aircraft and human remains were found in engine number 3 after the emergency landing back in HNL.

One story floating around the business at the time was that the engine was quietly barged out to sea and sunk.

But, I read in a travel column years ago that the engine was buried near SFO and a memorial was erected.

Anyone know which, if either, of these accounts is correct? :confused:

Whatever the case, the UA 811 aircraft was put back into service and flew for several more years.

And the AUS accident aircraft N401WN was fixed and operated to MDW this morning. Don't know if the engine was changed.

[West Coast]

What would pulling the engine off the pylon do? Is cause of death in doubt?

[Winemaker]

I'm totally confused. I reread the thread and found no reference to ingestion. The body was reported as a male found on the runway DOA. The photo of the damaged cowling on the first page has weird areas of 'haziness' at the top of the engine that suggests a photoshop job. More likely is that the 'victim' was struck by the aircraft, not sucked into the engine.

[neilki]

I'm totally confused. I reread the thread and found no reference to ingestion. The body was reported as a male found on the runway DOA. The photo of the damaged cowling on the first page has weird areas of 'haziness' at the top of the engine that suggests a photoshop job. More likely is that the 'victim' was struck by the aircraft, not sucked into the engine.
Probably something near 200lb at zero g/s meeting a CFM56 doing 150plus will transfer a massive amount of energy -damage into the engine and spar. Even 10mph ground vehicle impact can lead to extensive structural damage. The Aircraft will be AoG for sometime I imagine..
it's hard to imagine a more messed up week; but here we are...

[Islandlad]

What would pulling the engine off the pylon do? Is cause of death in doubt?
Make way for its replacement?

And .....

[Airbubba]

The Aircraft will be AoG for sometime I imagine..

It has already operated AUS-MDW-LAS-SFO and is parked for the evening.

[West Coast]

Make way for its replacement?

And .....

Fair enough if required, more meant giving the engine to the coroner.

[LGW Vulture]

It has already operated AUS-MDW-LAS-SFO and is parked for the evening.

Wow thank **** we got some fact out of this

Why oh why do we have to delve into history when information on the incident in question is so severely lacking.

[Fliegenmong]

And this is why mental health is still such a taboo subject for so many people https://www.pprune.org/images/smilies2/icon_rolleyes.gif

Assuming this was suicide, the person involved was literally mentally ill - there would have been no reasoning, just a route to end what was perceived as suffering. That usually means feeling that the world and their family is better off without them, not that they specifically don't want to live. To that person, at that time, they're anything but selfish - they're doing this for all the right reasons, however skewed they may be.

I have complete and utter sympathy for those left to pick up the pieces, both physically and emotionally, but to blame the person involved is unfair.

Thanks for the insight Front Seat Phil!, I had always thought of a very selfish thing to do, in a public manner, but I had never considered your explanation before thank you!

[neilki]

It has already operated AUS-MDW-LAS-SFO and is parked for the evening.
Wow. My operator had a 320 under pushback that slid on ice into a catering truck. A shiny LEAP 1a took the hit and the aircraft was grounded for a couple of months while the spar was repaired. Something about the angle of impact perhaps, but I guess them guppy's are tough!

[hunbet]

"On May 9th 2020 the airport reported the man was not employed by the airport and hopped the perimeter fence of the airport. The perimeter fence is being checked by Transportation Security Administration.

Airport Staff reported the man was a homeless person known to police. A large homeless camp is just outside Austin Airport, in the past there had been similar encounters when homeless people ended up inside the airport perimeter".

[lomapaseo]

Fair enough if required, more meant giving the engine to the coroner.

Fair argument

I had assumed that with a nacelle lip strike that part of the object would have entered the engine fan. It's an easy fact to determine but so far that is not in evidence in this discussion

[Airbubba]

The deceased has now been identified by the Austin Police Department as a 22 year-old male. An online profile suggests that he was fluent in Korean. Still no indication of any employment at the airport from any of the media releases.

The ambulance chasing lawyers have already posted this 'news item':

TEXAS WRONGFUL DEATH ATTORNEYPending the investigation, the family of Junin Ko may be entitled to a wrongful death claim. Family members of wrongful death victims may seek damages for medical and funeral expenses, loss of love and companionship, pain and suffering, and emotional distress following a tragic or catastrophic accident.

“The stress and sorrow can be extremely overwhelming after losing a loved one in an accident,’’ said Andrew Wright, of Counsel with Bond Sanchez-Gordon.

“We understand just what families are forced to go through, and having their rights protected is vital. A wrongful death lawyer will stay updated on the official investigation and help ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected,’’ Wright added.

The Legal Advocate's national legal analysts Candice Bond and Andrew Wright are experienced in fatal pedestrian accidents, and if you or a family member need help they are available for a free consultation to guide you.


https://www.thelegaladvocate.com/news/breaking/junin-ko-airplane-austin-abia-runway-pedestrian-crash

I have a relative out in Texas who has made millions by specializing in lawsuits involving railroad accidents. He went to Club Fed for a few years, got out and got his law license back somehow. He's on bilingual billboards around town.

[DaveReidUK]

While the lawyers in question may well be ambulance-chasers, if it emerges that the airport authority was negligent in maintaining/monitoring the boundary fence, which allowed the unfortunate victim to gain access to the runway, they could well find themselves defending a wrongful death lawuit.

[Gipsy Queen]

While the lawyers in question may well be ambulance-chasers, if it emerges that the airport authority was negligent in maintaining/monitoring the boundary fence, which allowed the unfortunate victim to gain access to the runway, they could well find themselves defending a wrongful death lawuit.

From what I gather, this chap deliberately or while the balance of his mind was disturbed, walked into an aircraft with known and predictable consequences. It could be argued that given sufficient determination, anyone could gain access to an airport; what this person might do there has to be within his own competence for which a third party should not be actionable. Of course, this is not a cogent defence in these days of almost non-existent personal responsibility.

[megan]

they could well find themselves defending a wrongful death lawuitThe law can be an ass, wonder if I decided to amble across a LAX freeway at peak hour and got hit it would be a wrongful death. Usually in the US it's deer on the runway getting hit, in Oz kangaroos. If a deer can get on the property so can a human.About 1,000 white-tailed deer caused $45 million in damage in reported plane strikes from 1990 through 2015, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration published in November.

All passengers escaped injury on Wednesday when an American Eagle plane hit a deer while taking off at Charlotte Douglas at about noon. The plane returned to the airport, and all of the passengers walked off the plane and were bused back to the terminal.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article133003529.html