Ramp worker killed by prop
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Ramp worker killed by prop
From: http://www.faa.gov/avr/aai/iirform.htm
Seems there's at least one of these a year somewhere.
Heads up, people.
Reg. No.: 935HA M/M: DH8A Desc: DHC-8-100 DASH 8 (E-9, CT-142,
Activity: Business Phase: Standing GA-A/C: Air Taxi (Commuter)
Descr: PIEDMONT AIRLINES AIR TAXI ACFT WAS ON THE RAMP WITH PASSENGERS LOADED WHEN A RAMP WORKER WAS STRUCK BY THE PROPELLER OF THE ACFT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE THE CHOCKS, THE WORKER SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UKNOWN AT THIS TIME, WASHINGTON, DC.
Activity: Business Phase: Standing GA-A/C: Air Taxi (Commuter)
Descr: PIEDMONT AIRLINES AIR TAXI ACFT WAS ON THE RAMP WITH PASSENGERS LOADED WHEN A RAMP WORKER WAS STRUCK BY THE PROPELLER OF THE ACFT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE THE CHOCKS, THE WORKER SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UKNOWN AT THIS TIME, WASHINGTON, DC.
Heads up, people.
Im afraid it happens with a much greater regularity than once a year.
Accidents involving people, props, jet intakes, main and tail rotor blades occur with alarming regularity!
You can never be too careful on a working ramp! I have met a woman who walked into a prop as a very young girl (terrible long-term outcome) and a mechanic who was struck on the head by a tail rotor (changed him, but he is still a capable worker). Many of my colleagues and acquaintances who have been involved in similar accidents were severely affected themselves.
Unfortunately, as I say, these acccidents occur far to often, you don't need to look far;
**** 08/06/2001 Preliminary Accident/Incident Data Record 3 ****
A. Type: A Mid Air: N Missing: N Entry date: 07/31/2001
From: SOUTHERN REGION OPERATIONS CENTER
B. Reg. No.: 8358G M/M: C188 Desc: 188, A188, T188 AgWagon, AgPic
Activity: Aerial Application Phase: Standing GA-A/C: General Aviation
Descr: ACFT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AERIAL APPLICATION, LANDED, TAXIED IN, AND WAS BEING RE-FUELED WHEN THE PERSON FUELING THE ACFT WALKED INTO THE PROPELLER AND WAS FATALLY INJURED, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UnKNOWN, THOMASVILLE, GA.
Awareness and safety on the ramp are everyone's responsibility. If no other positive outcome were to be achieved from these terrible accidents, it would be to ensure the topic is covered in your next safety meeting. Especially at this busy time of year!
Condolences to the family and colleagues of the individuals so sadly lost here.
Accidents involving people, props, jet intakes, main and tail rotor blades occur with alarming regularity!
You can never be too careful on a working ramp! I have met a woman who walked into a prop as a very young girl (terrible long-term outcome) and a mechanic who was struck on the head by a tail rotor (changed him, but he is still a capable worker). Many of my colleagues and acquaintances who have been involved in similar accidents were severely affected themselves.
Unfortunately, as I say, these acccidents occur far to often, you don't need to look far;
**** 08/06/2001 Preliminary Accident/Incident Data Record 3 ****
A. Type: A Mid Air: N Missing: N Entry date: 07/31/2001
From: SOUTHERN REGION OPERATIONS CENTER
B. Reg. No.: 8358G M/M: C188 Desc: 188, A188, T188 AgWagon, AgPic
Activity: Aerial Application Phase: Standing GA-A/C: General Aviation
Descr: ACFT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AERIAL APPLICATION, LANDED, TAXIED IN, AND WAS BEING RE-FUELED WHEN THE PERSON FUELING THE ACFT WALKED INTO THE PROPELLER AND WAS FATALLY INJURED, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UnKNOWN, THOMASVILLE, GA.
Awareness and safety on the ramp are everyone's responsibility. If no other positive outcome were to be achieved from these terrible accidents, it would be to ensure the topic is covered in your next safety meeting. Especially at this busy time of year!
Condolences to the family and colleagues of the individuals so sadly lost here.
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Here's more on the DCA mishap:
Safety Reviewed After Death at National Airport
By Katherine Shaver
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 7, 2001; Page B05
Investigators are reviewing ground safety procedures at Reagan National Airport this week as part of their effort to determine how a US Airways Express ground crew worker was fatally injured Sunday by a commuter plane's propeller, authorities said.
Paul Schlamm, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators will examine the airport's and US Airways' safety procedures "with an eye toward making recommendations that might prevent this sort of accident in the future."
The worker was killed about 5:35 p.m. Sunday after he removed a chock from beneath a wheel of a DeHavilland Dash-8 that was preparing to take off for White Plains, N.Y., said US Airways spokesman David Castelveter.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates National, identified the ramp worker yesterday as Samuel E. Harris, 47, of the Prince George's County community of Springdale.
Castelveter would not say how long Harris had worked for US Airways. He said he did not know how many US Airways workers had been killed by propellers.
He said Harris would have been "in the vicinity of" the plane's right propeller while removing the chock, a blocklike device that keeps a plane stationary after the pilot starts the engines.
The DASH-8 is a high-winged plane powered by two turboprop engines.
"Safety is the first priority in our operations on the ground and in the air," Castelveter said. "Employees are regularly reminded to stand clear of the propeller. I don't know what caused this to happen."
The accident occurred at the airport's northern end, about 100 yards from the terminal, where commuter planes park, said Tom Sullivan, a spokesman for the airport authority. Harris died at the scene, Sullivan said.
An NTSB investigator has interviewed the plane's flight crew and will review interviews that authority police conducted with some of the 29 passengers who witnessed the accident, officials said. After the accident, the passengers were taken off the plane and rerouted.
The investigation is being conducted by the NTSB, airport authority police, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and US Airways, officials said.
Safety Reviewed After Death at National Airport
By Katherine Shaver
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 7, 2001; Page B05
Investigators are reviewing ground safety procedures at Reagan National Airport this week as part of their effort to determine how a US Airways Express ground crew worker was fatally injured Sunday by a commuter plane's propeller, authorities said.
Paul Schlamm, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators will examine the airport's and US Airways' safety procedures "with an eye toward making recommendations that might prevent this sort of accident in the future."
The worker was killed about 5:35 p.m. Sunday after he removed a chock from beneath a wheel of a DeHavilland Dash-8 that was preparing to take off for White Plains, N.Y., said US Airways spokesman David Castelveter.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates National, identified the ramp worker yesterday as Samuel E. Harris, 47, of the Prince George's County community of Springdale.
Castelveter would not say how long Harris had worked for US Airways. He said he did not know how many US Airways workers had been killed by propellers.
He said Harris would have been "in the vicinity of" the plane's right propeller while removing the chock, a blocklike device that keeps a plane stationary after the pilot starts the engines.
The DASH-8 is a high-winged plane powered by two turboprop engines.
"Safety is the first priority in our operations on the ground and in the air," Castelveter said. "Employees are regularly reminded to stand clear of the propeller. I don't know what caused this to happen."
The accident occurred at the airport's northern end, about 100 yards from the terminal, where commuter planes park, said Tom Sullivan, a spokesman for the airport authority. Harris died at the scene, Sullivan said.
An NTSB investigator has interviewed the plane's flight crew and will review interviews that authority police conducted with some of the 29 passengers who witnessed the accident, officials said. After the accident, the passengers were taken off the plane and rerouted.
The investigation is being conducted by the NTSB, airport authority police, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and US Airways, officials said.
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At my Airport , our Ramp Staff just can't wait for a few seconds as aircraft (especially B737s) taxi onto stands.One will be walking with the aircraft trying to plug in the gpu.Others try to see if they can play chicken with the still rotating engines trying to chock the mainwheels !
It's just a matter of time ......
[ 07 August 2001: Message edited by: jellybaby ]
It's just a matter of time ......
[ 07 August 2001: Message edited by: jellybaby ]
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How could that happen ? How could all other accidents happen ?
If i would be working under the wing of an airplane with running propellers, i would
be more than careful.
What could be done to improve savety ?
I believe not very much - the workers just may not lose concentration at any time.
Perhaps the propellers could be more colourful (yellow or red), but i doubt that
would avoid further accidents ......
ef
If i would be working under the wing of an airplane with running propellers, i would
be more than careful.
What could be done to improve savety ?
I believe not very much - the workers just may not lose concentration at any time.
Perhaps the propellers could be more colourful (yellow or red), but i doubt that
would avoid further accidents ......
ef
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Apollo
Show some F***ing respect. If some fat cockpit driver had ended this way I'm sure your reaction would have been somewhat different. Many ground crew are eager wannabees and hope one day to join us up in the office (I use to be one myself)!
Show some F***ing respect. If some fat cockpit driver had ended this way I'm sure your reaction would have been somewhat different. Many ground crew are eager wannabees and hope one day to join us up in the office (I use to be one myself)!
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Is it not possible to either start engines after the chocks are removed? Surely aircraft brakes are powerful enough, or have some sort of guard on the props. If any other industry were to have unguarded moving machinery the HSE would be down on them like a ton of bricks. 
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Centigrade's got it right. No chocks required for engine starts! New SOP for propeller planes should be: Set brakes, remove chocks then start the motor(s).
And recurrent training for ramp workers.
And recurrent training for ramp workers.
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It is not really an issue of training.... training does not stop lapses in concentration....Other issues come into play such as pressures of on-time performance etc etc
I have been guilty of it myself... concentrating on getting the aircraft back out and walk towards an engine which is still turning.
I have never understood the need for chocks at any time..... surely the brakes are strong enough.
I have been guilty of it myself... concentrating on getting the aircraft back out and walk towards an engine which is still turning.
I have never understood the need for chocks at any time..... surely the brakes are strong enough.
Delay? What delay?
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Training not the issue. I think that training is very much the issue here. Yes lapses of attention occurr (sp?), but the message has to be repeated agin and again to workers who work around aircraft. Safety does come first. And as for pressure for an on time departure. There is no, repeat no handling agent management that will trade off safety against punctuality. Having worked at Servisair in the UK for 10 years and seen the aftermath of deaths like this in EDI and BFS, I can personally vough for that fact. I will also say that if any manager within Servisair was caught ignoring unsafe practices at the expense of workplace safety he/she would be fired. Gross Misconduct. Oh and Apollo, engage brain before you post cr@p like that again, a$$hole. 
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Obviously training comes into it, but no one wants to walk into a prop. Issues such as fatigue, energy levels etc come into it. A poor bloke in NZ a few years back, well familiar with aircraft, hopped onto the wing of a cherokee while the prop was spinning and then jumped off the front of the wing. A mate saw it happen and said it was horrific.
Probably a bit simple to say it was tiredness, but...
Probably a bit simple to say it was tiredness, but...
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Perhaps the propellers could be more colourful (yellow or red), but i doubt that
would avoid further accidents
Air UK and BIA used to paint stripes on their Herald and F27 props. I don't see them on any of the current commuters, so maybe it was found not to make any difference.
Or maybe another 'cost-saving' measure ? Nah, couldn't be.
would avoid further accidents
Air UK and BIA used to paint stripes on their Herald and F27 props. I don't see them on any of the current commuters, so maybe it was found not to make any difference.
Or maybe another 'cost-saving' measure ? Nah, couldn't be.
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Obviously I don't know the facts of this case, but it frightens me to see the complacency of highly trained and experienced ramp staff and engineers.
. Approaching aircraft while they're still moving, slowing down rotating propellers by hand, walking behind taxying aircraft, etc.That said, it seems to me that they're always under pressure from aircraft and airport operators to get the fastest turnaround possible. Perhaps a fact our flying colleagues would consider in the hubub of the turnaround time. Unfortunately, despite all the training that goes on on, I don't think that this sort of incident will ever be eradicated.
I think that the painted props were withdrawn due to the possible hallucinatery effect they have upon the brain.
Look at a fast rotating black and white propeller for 30 seconds, then look at the ground - there's a very good chance you'll fall over.
. Approaching aircraft while they're still moving, slowing down rotating propellers by hand, walking behind taxying aircraft, etc.That said, it seems to me that they're always under pressure from aircraft and airport operators to get the fastest turnaround possible. Perhaps a fact our flying colleagues would consider in the hubub of the turnaround time. Unfortunately, despite all the training that goes on on, I don't think that this sort of incident will ever be eradicated.
I think that the painted props were withdrawn due to the possible hallucinatery effect they have upon the brain.
Look at a fast rotating black and white propeller for 30 seconds, then look at the ground - there's a very good chance you'll fall over.
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I know that many ground crew are "afraid" of the Dash-8 propellers. Especially on the -100, where the distance between the GP receptacle and the propeller is very short.
The aircrew (or operator) generally wants the ground power plugged in before engine shut down. Normally both engines are shut down simultaneously. As the the propellers move through the Beta-range to the feathered position, the propellers give a short, positive thrust, which can cause the aircraft to "jump" forward, just as the ground crew have plugged in the GP.
Especially on icy tarmacs this is a problem, as the parking brakes don't prevent the aircraft from slipping forward.
The ground crew are risking their lives just to prevent the cabin from losing the interior lighting for a few seconds.
Nick.
The aircrew (or operator) generally wants the ground power plugged in before engine shut down. Normally both engines are shut down simultaneously. As the the propellers move through the Beta-range to the feathered position, the propellers give a short, positive thrust, which can cause the aircraft to "jump" forward, just as the ground crew have plugged in the GP.
Especially on icy tarmacs this is a problem, as the parking brakes don't prevent the aircraft from slipping forward.
The ground crew are risking their lives just to prevent the cabin from losing the interior lighting for a few seconds.
Nick.
Bottums Up
Nick F,
Never operated a Dash on icy ground. Never had one jump forward when selecting Start/Feather, though did blow a fuel shed 20 metres once.
I've heard stories of at least two captains sending the F/O out to secure fuel panels, one on a DH8 @ night and one a Brasilia. In both cases the engines remained running whilst the poor F/O had to disembark, walk past the prop, round the back, fix the panel and return.
Now that's stupid!
Never operated a Dash on icy ground. Never had one jump forward when selecting Start/Feather, though did blow a fuel shed 20 metres once.
I've heard stories of at least two captains sending the F/O out to secure fuel panels, one on a DH8 @ night and one a Brasilia. In both cases the engines remained running whilst the poor F/O had to disembark, walk past the prop, round the back, fix the panel and return.
Now that's stupid!
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I have seen a few close calls with propellers as well, one thing I do before jumping in the airplane and starting engines is have a quick "pre start" briefing with all the ground personnel involved, that way we all know who will be where, and what they are supposed to do ( ie. Who's my signal person, who is operating the GPU, where will they be during start up, what is their route to and from the recepticle on the aircraft to disconnect?, etc... ) Of course some times they look at me like I'm a lunatic, but I figure it's safer all around if we're all working according to the same plan. On arriving at new ( to me ) airports I am often amazed at the dangerous situation the line personnel are put in trying to provide fast service ( chocking the nose wheel with the engines still running, walking around by the airstair while the props are still spinning down to see to any needs, etc... ) damn the people who encourage them to endanger themselves like this
Unfortunately there will be accidents on the ramp no matter how many rules we make, or how we are all trained, but as long as we remain alert to the dangers, and as mentioned earlier continually try to do things as safely as possible we can at least keep quite a few of them from happening.
Unfortunately there will be accidents on the ramp no matter how many rules we make, or how we are all trained, but as long as we remain alert to the dangers, and as mentioned earlier continually try to do things as safely as possible we can at least keep quite a few of them from happening.