Co-pilot falls from plane
 

From Ed Toner

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/Southwest....ap/index.html
Co-pilot falls from plane


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HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- The co-pilot of a single-engine aircraft plunged from the plane as it made a steep turn 9,000 feet over the Houston area.

The 45-year-old Houston man apparently jumped or fell from the plane Sunday afternoon near Prairie View, about 20 miles northwest of Houston, federal and local authorities told the Houston Chronicle for Monday editions.

An instructor pilot, the only other person on board, was concentrating on a steep turning maneuver when he heard a thump and saw the co-pilot's feet and legs leaving the airplane, Waller County Sheriff's Lt. John Kremmer told the Chronicle.

Kremmer said a search for the pilot in the area's pastures, woods and lakes was expected to resume early Monday.

Officials said the Cessna 152 had taken off 45 minutes earlier from David Wayne Hooks Airport in Spring. The pilot notified authorities about the incident before returning to the airport.

"The instructor and the aircraft landed safely," said Roland Herwig, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Kremmer said the co-pilot -- whose identity was being withheld pending notification of relatives -- had a pilot's license but could not fly alone because of an unspecified medical condition.

The instructor pilot told investigators that both men were strapped in when the small trainer aircraft took off from the airport.

"He just doesn't know at what point that changed," Kremmer said.

There was no indication the man had a parachute, Kremmer said.

Hm, strange. Having instructed on the C-152 for a rather too long time (shiver) I don't think that the student just "fell" out of the airplane.

Sad situation but it sounds as if someone just wanted to end their problems.....9000' gives one time to think....

Not so sure - anyone who's logged more than a few hours in a 152 has probably had a door come open on them at somepoint, it certainly doesn't take much to open a 152 door - add in a steep turn a touch out of balance, and the rest could be history.

Whatever, it's a helluva way to go :(

A "co-pilot" on a 152? Sounds more like a pilot who lost his/her medical, went up with an instructor and decided to end it all. Very sad.:(
I`ve flown the 152s quite a bit, and you don`t just fall out of them. They`re hard to get into and even harder to get out of. Of course accidents can happen, and yes, those doors can sometimes pop open during any phase of flight.

They're bloody easy to get out of if you're not worried about doing so feet first.

Even easier if you're on the low side during a steep turn I should think.

Unless the door latch also released the seat belt buckle, it looks like suicide to me.:(

I seem to recall something similar in the UK about a year ago? A pilot (male) in the rhs of (I think) a 172 got out as they were a few miles short of the destination airfield leaving the pilot (female) in the lhs to continue the flight.
I'm just going on my rather hazy memory of this and if the AAIB have already published the report then I must have missed it.
No-doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

stranger things can happen ......
 

....... talking about falling out of an aircraft .... this story was quoted recently ......

quote ...."Reminds me of a Twin Otter accident a few years ago in northern Canada, while in flight with no passengers on board, the Captain went back to clean out the cabin (a common practice), and when he opened the rear passenger door to sweep out the dirt, he fell out. As far as I know they never found the body"


........ moral of the story ??? .........

Hobie What's that smell ? Bovine excrement, I think !

I take it all back. Found this reference while looking for something else

Sadly you remember correctly QNH. I think it was the airfield was Farnborough? Or nearby?

9,000 feet? In a 152? Why? Shome mishtake surely.

Hobie,

If the Twotter pilot was the only one on board, how does anyone know that he was in the back cleaning the aircraft? :confused:

There was a case in December 2000 of a woman falling out of a Twotter over California during a corporate shuttle flight for Hewlett Packard.

9000 feet in a C152 after 45 minutes - was it supercharged? The highest I ever got was 8500 feet and it took over an hour! And I was flying solo!:eek:

Not the whole story here yet

QNH
You remember correctly.The jumper was ex para or ex SAS, and I believe it was deemed deliberate.

Hatches and harness check is part of hazel, assumedly performed before manouvres, so seat belts should have held the passenger in the latest incident.

scud .... the story went ...... ". According to statements from the co-pilot, he reported hearing a loud bang, looked back to see the rear door open and the Captain was gone"

cheers .....

Although the news reports appear to leave open the possibility that the "copilot's" departure from the aircraft was unintentional, a number of acquaintances overheard the subsequent conversation between the surviving instructor and the Center on guard freq, and indicate that the explanation tended to turn on the phrase "jumped out of the aircraft."

Yes, I did get this directly from those who heard it first hand, and yes, it still qualifies as a rumor.


Some additional data from the FAA's prelim report. Could have sworn they said 9000 first... now he's out at 9500. Also note that the FAA report uses the word "jumped..." The report says that the aircraft landed without incident, but that appears to be only half the story...

Dave



IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 4794P Make/Model: C152 Description: 152, A152, Aerobat
Date: 11/17/2002 Time: 1945

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: None

LOCATION
City: HOUSTON State: TX Country: US

DESCRIPTION
ACFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AFTER STUDENT PILOT JUMPED OUT OF ACFT WITHOUT
A PARACHUTE AT 9,500 FEET, HOUSTON, TX

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 2 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: DWH METAR 02111853UTC 23009KLT 10SM K\\SKC 19/05 A3020

OTHER DATA
Activity: Training Phase: Unknown Operation: General Aviation

Departed: HOUSTON, TX Dep Date: 11/17/2002 Dep. Time: 1900
Destination: HOUSTON, TX Flt Plan: NONE Wx Briefing: N
Last Radio Cont: NONE
Last Clearance: NONE

FAA FSDO: HOUSTON, TX (SW09) Entry date: 11/18/2002

strapping in
 

With those little buckle belts it's quite easy to knock them off. I've done it a couple of times reaching for the trim with a jacket on. Same with a pa28 but it has more of a 'step' out. c152 doors are notorious for popping open. "There I was ... " at about 5000' doing spin practice and it happened to me. :(

Quack

QuackDriver, same thing happened to me.

Spin-awareness training, C150(?) out of Bournemouth.

Door flew open, pathetic (old) seat belt came undone. I shat myself, lesson over :)

Real nice that this guy's been "buried" on this forum before his relatives have had the chance :(

There's a Houston Chronicle report suggesting that the guy was being investigated over an alleged theft involving a NASA computer.

It also points out that there was apparently nothing wrong with the door-latch or seat-belt.

Believe what you will. The link is here