deicer hits plane
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REF HZ123
HZ123 STATED;SOU staff please do not take offence but perhaps if one of them sees this they can comment on the expertise and training of Aviance, or whatever name they go by this week?
Sou has had very few accidents with ramp services in twelve years of my presence this is the most serious with no injuries.
We are not perfect and are moving forward improving our standards daily, but complacency, lack of training and a no care attitude are not an issue at this station.
As for name changes if you have been in the industry that long you should know the answer? (not a very nice comment)
At the end of the day we learn by our mistakes and safety is our priority.
The investigation has only just been completed and more questions may be asked to solve this unfortunate incident, to stop it happening again here at SOU or elsewhere.
The driver is still working but not driving, and until the enquiry has finished every thing from here is just speculation.
Sou has had very few accidents with ramp services in twelve years of my presence this is the most serious with no injuries.
We are not perfect and are moving forward improving our standards daily, but complacency, lack of training and a no care attitude are not an issue at this station.
As for name changes if you have been in the industry that long you should know the answer? (not a very nice comment)
At the end of the day we learn by our mistakes and safety is our priority.
The investigation has only just been completed and more questions may be asked to solve this unfortunate incident, to stop it happening again here at SOU or elsewhere.
The driver is still working but not driving, and until the enquiry has finished every thing from here is just speculation.
There seems to be an awful lot of people out there who seem to think that it is unusual for an aircraft to be attacked by a piece of ground equipment. I have to tell you that this is far from the case. Sadly it is usually only the truly catastrophic events that reach the headlines. In my company hardly a week goes past without at least one event occuring at one of the nearly 70 airports that we serve.
To get the situation into perspective let me tell you a story. I recently taxied on to stand. One of the ground staff came on to the flight deck and asked me to come and look at a dent that she had spotted as we taxied in. I went to look. It was not a new dent nor was it particularly big but it was great that the young lady had spotted it and had brought it to my attention.
I showed her the "dent and buckle" charts and lists in the aircraft tech log and there, sure enough, was the dent that she had spotted. She was a bit surprised to note that this section of the tech log was 5 pages long.
I do not even want to get into whether this sort of ground-handling rash is caused by lack of training, dubious ground equipment or sheer incompetence but let me just reiterate what I said at the beginning, such damage is sadly incredibly common.
PS. The most bizarre incident that I remember was going out to Stand 22 at Gatwick in the crew bus when I was flying DC-10s for Fred. There was a Dan Air 727 on the next stand and the the No.2 (centre) engine was lying on the ramp! A catering truck had hit it from behind and had fractured the engine mounts. I would not have believed it to be possible but there it was for all to see!
To get the situation into perspective let me tell you a story. I recently taxied on to stand. One of the ground staff came on to the flight deck and asked me to come and look at a dent that she had spotted as we taxied in. I went to look. It was not a new dent nor was it particularly big but it was great that the young lady had spotted it and had brought it to my attention.
I showed her the "dent and buckle" charts and lists in the aircraft tech log and there, sure enough, was the dent that she had spotted. She was a bit surprised to note that this section of the tech log was 5 pages long.
I do not even want to get into whether this sort of ground-handling rash is caused by lack of training, dubious ground equipment or sheer incompetence but let me just reiterate what I said at the beginning, such damage is sadly incredibly common.
PS. The most bizarre incident that I remember was going out to Stand 22 at Gatwick in the crew bus when I was flying DC-10s for Fred. There was a Dan Air 727 on the next stand and the the No.2 (centre) engine was lying on the ramp! A catering truck had hit it from behind and had fractured the engine mounts. I would not have believed it to be possible but there it was for all to see!
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INCIDENTS & ACCIDENTS
Thank you for the information JW411.
I did say aviance is moving forward and I think it is on the 7th - 13th March 06 there is our annual safety week that each station will produce information displays and competitions around all 17 stations.
Any information from any airlines, crews, engineers or other handling companies is appreciated and helps promote the safety factors.
Last year an airline came and gave us a presentation that we feel is valuable as it promotes enthusiasm and education hopefully to reduce pages in your tech log.
All you need to do if interested is contact aviance Health & Safety at first point LGW or any Trainer or Station manager at any other station UK.
I did say aviance is moving forward and I think it is on the 7th - 13th March 06 there is our annual safety week that each station will produce information displays and competitions around all 17 stations.
Any information from any airlines, crews, engineers or other handling companies is appreciated and helps promote the safety factors.
Last year an airline came and gave us a presentation that we feel is valuable as it promotes enthusiasm and education hopefully to reduce pages in your tech log.
All you need to do if interested is contact aviance Health & Safety at first point LGW or any Trainer or Station manager at any other station UK.
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JW411 I think your last post, in the grand scheme of things, is quite correct. However, this incident does have a certain extreme to it. I can tell you that the aircraft was full of pax, just boarded, PA made to apologise for the delay blah blah blah, and quite frankly, one hell of a jolt was felt throughout the cabin. One cabin crew was nearly knocked over, and serveral pax were quite alarmed and made comment. Agreed perhaps on a laden L1011(your fav and mine!) you may not get the same effect, but a nearly 30tonne Dash got quite a bash. From the point of view of the crew a bad day had just got very worse! From the pax point of view it was shocking, inconvenient and unbelievable. From the de-ice drivers point of view - very unfortunate and untimely (just qualified), from an eyewitness point of view, quite a lot of damage done. It so could have been a lot worse a couple of feet further aft, with pressure bulkheads etc. But this was a truck, as I understand, driving flat onto the side of the aircraft.
I agree most aircraft are a patchwork of re-skinned holes. Let me tell you, this isn't a re-skin of a hole, thats just the temporary repair to fly home, but a complete change of two fuselage skins, four frames and many stringers. And for the nervous of you, it will probably be a sound repair by far.
So yes you have a point, but of greater note, it's great to hear mostly positive support for the unfortunate in this incident. If you had been there, you would understand my sentiment.
I agree most aircraft are a patchwork of re-skinned holes. Let me tell you, this isn't a re-skin of a hole, thats just the temporary repair to fly home, but a complete change of two fuselage skins, four frames and many stringers. And for the nervous of you, it will probably be a sound repair by far.
So yes you have a point, but of greater note, it's great to hear mostly positive support for the unfortunate in this incident. If you had been there, you would understand my sentiment.
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Many years ago, working as a ramp rat, I had the misfortune of driving a tractor into a 727. Entirely my fault, owing to inexperience and lack of awareness. There was only a scratch to be seen on the fuselage, but not being a mechanic I didn't feel like making any judgement on whether or not it was something to be concerned about. It was not a very nice experience having to go up to see the old man in the LHS and tell him I'd banged his aircraft. It was just as unpleasent having to go see my boss and tell him the same story. Got a stern telling off, and was then congratulated for reporting the incident. Was told that I would never be fired if I duly reported any and all damage, unless of course I made it a habit of driving machinery into aeroplanes. Was also told that failure to report any incidents would see me out the door in great haste.
These days I earn my keep as a trainer, and am passing the same lessons on. Never, ever, under any circumstance fail to report a damage. If you see an "old" damage, contact engineering or the skipper. Don't ever assume anything. If you bump into the aircraft, well, shyte happens. I'll love you a little less than I do now, and you may safely expect some minor verbal abuse if you've been an idiot, but that's where it stops. Having a blame-free culture is paramount in ensuring a safe operation.
These days I earn my keep as a trainer, and am passing the same lessons on. Never, ever, under any circumstance fail to report a damage. If you see an "old" damage, contact engineering or the skipper. Don't ever assume anything. If you bump into the aircraft, well, shyte happens. I'll love you a little less than I do now, and you may safely expect some minor verbal abuse if you've been an idiot, but that's where it stops. Having a blame-free culture is paramount in ensuring a safe operation.
