Qantas picks on smaller rival - Virgin
 

Well, maybe not quite like that: Qantas jumbo thrust blows Virgin pilot off stairs

A Virgin pilot has been blown off his plane's rear aircraft stairs, suffering serious injuries, after copping the thrust of a nearby Qantas jumbo engine.
The first officer was conducting a pre-flight check on the Boeing 737 at Brisbane Airport's international terminal this morning when the Qantas 747 taxied past, the Brisbane Times reports.
The Boeing, operated by Virgin subsidiary Pacific Blue, was due to take off for Bali tomorrow.
The Qantas jumbo had landed to offload passengers on its way to Sydney and was awaiting clearance from air traffic control to take off.
When it taxied up to a runway, the force of its jet blast toppled the Virgin pilot over along with the Boeing's aluminium stairs.
A Virgin spokeswoman said their pilot suffered a broken arm and leg and was lucky not to be more seriously injured.
She said the passenger jet "was in the right place at the right time" and Brisbane Airport confirmed the plane was in its normal parking bay.
But Qantas said its plane was "operating normally" under instructions from air traffic control.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating.

There was a thread about a Cathay pilot being blown off. No reported injuries.

Stoppit! :)

Should be able to check what thrust the QF747 used from the QAR and see how normal it was......sounds like poor airport parking layout.
Poor Virgin F/O, a nasty, scary and painful event.

Brilliant

:D

As I recall there was another crew member involved; I believe she was caught drinking on the job. :}

Anyone know who does the ground handling for Virgin in Brisbane? There was an incident with stairs blowing away from a Virgin aircraft down here recently too.

View of the international terminal on the left, with the C9 holding point at the edge of the apron just before the parallel B taxiway, the B9 holding point before the parallel A taxiway, and the A9 holding point before runway 01 at Brisbane:

Do we know where the 747 was? Is it an 'uphill' at C9?

I don't know where it was, but this is the only location which matches the description/is likely. There is even a Virgin aircraft (the red 737) parked at the most likely gate.

Brisbane is flat as a tack, if my 10 year old memories are correct.

Well actually......
 

This incident is extremely serious.

why don't they just go ahead and apply the usual "winging pom bastard" while they are at it?:hmm:

There will have been a number of breached of company regulation [safe place to work, working at height etc,etc] for this accident to happen.

If standards are slipping down route [as can be seen] then a robust safety case needs to be put forwards to the handlers/airport operating authorities.

I sincerely hope the individual makes a full recovery from his injuries.

This sort of s**t should not be happening these days.

Perhaps we need a stair design with a "gangplank" from the top of the mobile stairs extending into the aircraft? That would "anchor" the top of the stairs to the aircraft, stabilising them and preventing another tip-over.

What exactly are "the Boeing's aluminium stairs."?

The stairs, made of aluminium, that were pushed up to the Boeing. Liz is down here at the moment, BOAC; I'll word her up to give you a lesson on her english when she returns! :E

Go for it!! :E

Since it was a Boeing, they were actually made of Uh-lew-minum.

Here's where it happened at the ITB. (I was there that day)

http://i42.tinypic.com/9fwgw9.jpg

It was rather windy that day, perhaps contributing. Though having been on the ramp (that same bay) as 747's pass (in the same direction), I haven't ever felt jet blast that I could consider dangerous.

Well the jetblast was enough to blow the stairs over. Stairs that are rated to around 80km/h winds. Also, it's 71m from the rear of the QF 747 to the VA 737.

read out loud this humourous line to the Mrs whose in the kitchen, came the response - laughter - naturally. followed by a muttered, "well he'd be the only one".

At least we know why whole Quantas was grounded... :ouch::}