Because of what I talked about (and not saying it's right, just whats going through their heads)-- that its just easier if the person deplanes without stopping-- its a lot of work to get the plane started again.
@@gregfaris6959 that is very correctable, you just need to change the way responsibility works in these cases...under the current system, the pilot is free, possibly even flying. now, if he faced being charged with manslaughter and facing 2-3 years in prison with all the ramifications of that, I think the balance of safety over profit in his thought process would change a lot... (not that he is not facing consequences, this is life changing trauma for him, but the level of prior deterrence of a potential prison term and ruined life would have much greater than the vague understanding you will have to live with anything that happens for the rest of your life (which is the real punishment))
@TakingOff If restarting an engine is so difficult, what are you supposed to do about an engine stall in flight? I tend to think it will be done relatively quickly, especially if it happens at 2000 ft. No disrespect, but I don't buy the excuse. Or, at the very least, have a deboard briefing that all passengers must exit and move only toward the rear of the plane. Or in case of a helicopter, move forward only.
@@brianschumaker5912 Hi Brian-- let's take my engine in a Cessna 210, it's a TSIO-520-R. If I shut it down and then a few moments later try to start, it is notoriously difficult to restart (not impossible, just tricky). It's easy to drain your battery which is using it's energy to turn the crankshaft. In flight, the windmilling effect keeps the crankshaft spinning enable a restart to be much easier. AND, an engine "stall" in flight (Im assuming you mean an engine cuts off, only airfoils "stall") means that you've lost the magnetos or you turned the magentos off OR fuel exhaustion or starvation. Just turn your mags back on and the windmilling effect keeps "cranking" the engine and you can restart. Clear the fuel starvation if thats the problem (switch tanks). Fuel exhaustion, you're a glider anyway. Engine failure, sure, but you're not restarting the engine in flight if you've thrown a rod.
@@brianschumaker5912 Airplane engines rarely stall in flight. The most likely caused for an engine stall is fuel exhaustion. If the pilot can switch to another fuel tank - that still has fuel - then he may be able to use the electric starter to restart the engine. Other than than, most inflight engine failures cannot be restarted in the air.
My instructor did it. Was in the run up area with 2 other aircraft. A fellow instructor was having trouble getting the canopy shut on our flight schools Piper sport so he got out of the aircraft he was in with his student. Instead of stepping off the back of the wing (it was a Piper warrior he was in) he jumped off the front, and right into the prop. And that was the end of him. He was an extremely proficient & safety minded instructor. We surmised he must have simply forgotten about the spinning propeller in the “white noise” of all the engines running around him. This was August of 2010. RIP Mike 🙏🏻
This is why one must never rush any action. I also always assume the prop is always running even if it's tied down, masters off, prop lock in place, etc. I make this assumption until I consciencely verify that the props are not spinning. I have learned to respect the prop at all cost. Also, never jump off the front of a wing no matter what.
i think you'll find the overwhelming majority of these people to be women. lack of situational awareness and the ability to multitask is a problem. ironically enough they were shown to be better at multitasking than men, but this is from a flawed study that tried to show inability to focus as strongly as men as some kind of asset. doing dishes and talking on the phone is a bit different from navigating gps, operating complex machinery and instruments while using a radio
As someone who works on the line at a busy FBO, when you're out there all day every day (or are around planes constantly) a lot of the busy airport sounds start to subconsciously blend together. Your brain starts to ignore it. The best way I avoid a catastrophe like this is that I always walk forward, never backward. If I'm around a running propeller aircraft, I always walk towards the wingtips and walk a wide orbit if I ever have to traverse the front of it, but all without taking my eyes off of the wheels and props to make sure the brakes are still working. This is truly sad this happened.
I vividly recall the accident in 2011. Story goes, she went up to look at the areas Christmas lights (in early December). It was a tailwheel aircraft but I have forgotten what exactly the make/model of the A/C was. Exited the aircraft just fine, then was going back to thank the pilot for the ride and never saw or thought about the prop that was at idle RPM. It was dark and while the ramp had lights, they were not bright enough to clearly see the aircraft in detail and certainly not the prop. When local EMS arrived, it was quickly determined she needed to be airlifted to a Level 1 trauma center. The first and most well known air ambulance operator in the area were unable to make the flight due to deteriorating weather. The EMS crew via radio to dispatcher and they called another air ambulance operator, and they were dispatched and airborne in 5 minutes with around 10-12 ETA. Local EMS had her prepped for transport to a level 1 trauma center without incident. I was friends of the responding Fire/Rescue that initially was dispatched to the location. There are probably *very few people* that have survived walking into a spinning prop.
@@avflyguy Airplane stats are 1/3 fatal, 2/3 serious with occasional minor injuries. Fatalities are more common with helicopter tail rotors as they’re mounted higher off the ground compared to most props and therefore more likely to cause a fatal head injury. I took a course during my initial maintenance training a long time ago and the stat just stayed in my brain. I never let passengers out or in with the engine running. I just shut down and restart as required. I ask my passengers to watch for people approaching the plane while I’m heads down with the preflight checklist. I’m always ready to turn off the mags if someone approaches.
these are the types of people that are easily hypnotized because they are absent minded. they are therefore impressionable like children and easily persuaded by mass media that a certain person is austrian painter or some other equally unnuanced absurd notion.
I was at high School in the uk in the mid 70s we had a school gardener who lost both hands whilst starting a prop plane in ww2. Talk about, make the most of what you have! He worked hard and had things made to make his life easier, he even smoked a pipe! We were blown away with his dedication, can you imagine these days, the person would be on invalidity until his multi million compensation arrived! He retired around 1982, his name was Mr. Heaps (or Heeps?) total hero and role model!
This accident is very similar to something that I remember from 2007. I had taken a hiatus from aviation for several years and took my time to get current. I flew something like 5 hours before I decided that I was ready for a BFR and renting airplanes. My instructor during this time was a 24 year old rising star named Mike. I remember him as being a bit of a workaholic. He was always busy. He instructed in scuba diving at a local beach. He taught ballroom dancing at night. One day I was early for a lesson and found him in the parking lot rotating his tires. He was always busy. He was a very good pilot and I considered him one of the best I had flown with. He seemed pretty safety conscious to me, but a few months after I flew with him, he was killed by a prop strike. The accident happened while he was in the run up area with a student. They were preparing to takeoff in a Piper Warrior (or perhaps a Cherokee 140). He noticed that another one of the flight school's planes was running up at the same time. It was a new Piper Sport Cruiser with a sliding canopy. The pilot was having a hard time closing the canopy and Mike decided to help the pilot close the canopy. He opened the Cherokee's door and instead of exiting behind the wing, he jumped in front of the wing and got killed almost instantly by the spinning propeller. I think he was preoccupied with helping the other pilot and just didn't think to take a precaution that he probably taught to many former students. Maybe habituation had something to do with it or he just had his "eyes on the prize" and didn't think things out. We lost a smart and talented pilot that day in a split second. A memorial fund still exists for him years later. Try not to be the guy with a memorial fund!
@@TakingOff I'll say this also. I was raised in an environment where dangerous machinery was around, and it was drummed into me and my brother to NEVER be inattentive around such equipment. That early training has stuck with is, and it boggles our minds to see how careless others can be in similar environments.
When I was young in high school, I worked in a sawmill. In my opinion, one of most dangerous environments one can find. This early training for safety kept My head on a swivel through my years of flying aircraft. Ground operations with aircraft are a dangerous environment. Nighttime operations are especially dangerous. Please be extra careful out there……
I worked for an operator that paints one strip on the tip of one blade, two strips on the second tip of the blade and three strips on the tip of the third blade, making pulse or strobe effect of a rotating propeller at low power settings. I wish everyone would do this, propellers are invisible while they are spinning otherwise.
“Superior judgment trumps superior skills”. I’m a big rig trucker, and truer words about safety have never been spoken! I can’t tell the number of times I avoided hitting something with my truck, or even worse, by relying on safety-focused judgment, and NOT my BELIEF in my skill at operating the truck!
I had a similar situation when I was taxing a cessna 210 and following the lines into a bay next to a hangar. There a heap of people and small children lined up next to the doors of the hangar. I was taxing very slow and looking out for people movements . Just as I was coming to a halt there was a vroomed sound with the engine misfiring . The windscreen was covered in red and bits of something. Mixture off ,engine power knob to back and mags off and park brake to set. I sat there for eternity and glanced out the side window and the hangar doors were covered in red and entails and the people also covered in blood and bits were running around . I couldnt breath ,my mouth was dry. My legs wouldn’t work and people were rushing over to my aircraft . I opened the door and slide out of the aircraft . I am sorry,I am sorry is all in could say . Then the hangar owner which I knew came over and said to me “That bloody dog ,I knew it was going to happen one day “. I burst into tears . It doesn’t matter how carefull you are and follow the rules there can be an outside influence can cause you to have an accident .
Your vivid description brought tears to my eyes. As a kid in the 1980's we lived on a remote ranch and relied on aircraft for our mail and some supplies during the winter. Same thing as here, too familiar and focused on getting the mail etc. another rancher walked into the prop. Awful, still tears me up. We loaded him back on the plane and he flew off for medical aid but it was of no hope. The plane was only on the ground for 3 or minutes. Not the pilots fault. small runway and the guy just walked into the prop. I imagine the pilot, who we all knew, must of been beyond shocked. Your description...wow.
@@RuthRodriguez-zb2in Yes the dog was destroyed ,it seems it had a habit of running towards aircraft and barking . It was a so called security dog for that hangar.
Throughout my private, instrument commercial and multi training in prop aircraft, we were always hyper cognizant of this danger, reiterated it verbally every time anyone was anticipated to be anywhere near an operating aircraft and never for one second lost focus on ths danger, yet we all knew it could happen at any second, with nothing we could do about it. Once you've gone through things as unnatural as engine-out, spin training, unusual attitudes in IMC you learn than humans can get used to ANYTHING, and conditions that would scream danger to an uninitiated person become routine to the more experienced; This is where complacency creeps in. I doubt there is a professional pilot anywhere who has not had cold shudders at the thought of a prop accident, but this case is the perfect example of how something like this can innocently take a step backward into the rest of your life....
I remember the director Boris Segal died when he got off a helicopter and walked into the rear rotor. He used to direct early episodes of combat and Vic Morrow who was famously killed on the set of the twilight zone movie in a helicopter accident years later. Boris Segal also directed an episode of the twilight zone. In that episode a guy puts his hand through a spinning propeller to try to prove the airplane wasn't real.
It’s more spooky than that as Morrow was not in the helicopter. He was killed by the main rotor blades after the helicopter lost lift during set pyrotechnics gone wrong.
Some people are so carried away by selfies that they often don’t notice how they find themselves under a jet engine turbine. Saw this many times on the ramp
Man that is awful.😢 Praying for her family, friends, coworkers, witnesses. Sounds like she had a momentary loss of situational awareness in order to get the best possible shot. Says a lot about about her - an excellent work ethic. So sad that ended up costing her, her life.😢 Just another example of how true the saying is: “Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity, or neglect.” I appreciate your video, Dan. Not an easy one to do. Very informative.
I forgot to add that this almost happened to my dad on his very first day on base up in Brunswick Maine when he joined the Navy back in 1959. It was night time and extremely noisy, with aircraft moving everywhere. He was walking and suddenly someone grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back violently. Whoever that man was saved his life!😮
People who are involved in Aviation have to remember: If you don't walk into propeller arcs, you won't walk into a propeller. Never a reason to be near a prop arc if it is running. Practice staying away from the prop arc when they are off aside from pre-flight and you will never walk into a prop. Years ago asked a Chief standing in a Hangar at NAS Oceana if I could step in with my Mom who even being an Air Force Vet loved Corsairs and had never seen one up close. The Chief said "Oh sure, bring her in just stay out of the prop arc". Not only was he so friendly to us, he was also keeping us safe. The F4U in question was sitting in the Hangar of an F-14 Squadron but same rules, "Stay out of the arc!" People in Aviation have to teach and protect those not yet up to speed.
I am a pilot. One day at the airport a woman walked into a spinning prop. She immediately put her hands up to her face and blood came out all between her fingers. I grabbed a roll of paper towels and put the whole roll up against her face. Someone called 911 and an ambulance showed up, then a helicopter. She was medivaced out. I never saw her injuries, just alot of blood and her face covered. A few years later, I happen to see that plane again and the pilot get out. I very hesitantly approached the pilot to ask if he knew what happened to the woman that walked into the prop. He said that was his wife and she is fine now. I was very relieved.
I regularly travel as a passenger in helicopters (for work) and before boarding we pre-agree the waling route to the door, we stop outside the rotor arc and do not move until eye contact is confirmed with the pilot. No walking outside the agreed zone is allowed to make sure no one walks into the tail rotor. Same goes for exiting. Its may sound like a lot of bother but it becomes 2nd nature to stop, check and not proceed until sure so its adds hardly any time but its much safer. I'm sometimes doing this on a moving deck so its also really important to confirm that the rotor stabilization is off, not doing so has killed people when the ship rolls. If this was an industrial machin in a factory you would stay well away.
we all have experiences of doing something without thinking only to have a problem and think "that was stupid" in retrospect. That's why these safety procedures are so important. I can also imagine that under stresses (including the fundamental stresses of working in a high impact creative job where if you don't get the shot, you won't ever) could make this problem a lot worse. You have some really good points about setup, planning, etc for where the photographer should be. To my mind that's exactly parallel the idea of a takeoff or approach briefing in commercial aviation.
Thank you Dan for including normalization of deviance. I have used this principle in instructing company pilots on importance of SOPs. Gradual drift from the standard is an incipient step in departing from safety protocols.
Thing's happen sometimes. Complacency plays a roll to a certain extent, the more comfortable you feel in a dangerous environment, the higher the chances of an incident occurring. Combat hero's know all about this.
My dad was a crop duster in the Lubbock, Texas area for nearly 40 yrs. and so I did all his loading from ages 12 to 18. The only safety regulation was don't walk into the prop and fortunately I never did; but the prop, the engine, the heat from that turbon exhaust all becomes part of your normal environment. Especially when 50% of your job is working in that area but the prop isn't even turning. I never really looked at the risk factor as being complacent, but that's it exactly. Great video, this message will save a life.
I worked with the NCFS when I first graduated from school. I met a fine man that flew the.spotter plane flying over fires that a dozer operator or several of them. He told me he was a pilot out west, I assumed he meant Calif. He flew tankers that made retardant drops over forest fires. One day while on the tarmac, warming the engines he said a friend came out to bring him an apple. He told me once they get turning at high idle speed the props cannot be seen. His friend came out to plane while he yelled and waved to no avail. He watched his friend walk into the prop , himself helpless to do more than yell. I've never forgotten him telling me about that. I won't mention his name but he was a first class pilot and person.
My grandpa was on a aircraft carrier right after WW2, he said on the flight deck they were told to never look directly at the spinning props as they might walk into them. Always wondered if there was any truth to that.
The cause of all accidents is attributed to one word. That word is Inattention on the part of one or many. This a terribly sad event and I hope this video reaffirms the fact that complacency kills, and that others pay attention to hazards and avoid dangerous situations. Very sad, but a great video.
I have to disagree that all accidents are caused by inattention. Any seasoned investigator will tell you that a series of events lead up to an accident. Inattention may be a factor, but in this case there are several events which could have saved the young lady's life. #1. If the pilot had shut down the engine before anyone left the aircraft. #2. If someone had saw the young lady backing and yelled stop.. 3. If the lead person in charge of the skydivers had briefed everyone to step toward THE REAR of the aircraft or straight ahead out of the door this accident may not have happened. So, in my opinion, inattention was only a contributory cause.
I think most of us has had a momentary lapse of mental awareness and realized this without incurring harm. It can happen to anyone so in a terrible tragedy like this the most I can say is there but for the grace of God go I.
I watch a good friend walk right into a moving propeller. He had just landed and parked a Cessna 150 with the aircraft owner. I was parked right in front of them. I got out of the car, my buddy got out on the right seat of the Cessna and ducked under the wing strut and right into the propeller. Lucky for him he was a big guy. The prop grabbed his sweatshirt and spun him around into the spinner, at which point he grabbed , in a bear hug manner, the prop and stopped it. I don’t know how it didn’t rip his arms off. If it had been any other plane i think he would have died. After he stopped the prop he turn toward me and said “I think I need to go to the hospital”. I responded with “no shit, lay down”. I assessed him and saw a huge cut to the bone in his left leg. Surprise to me he wasn’t bleeding, I think because of immediate shock setting in. He had his hands on his stomach, and they were covering where the spinner had hit him and he had a small wound there. He lived because the mayor artery in the leg was just missed by the prop. Had he had any mayor bleeding he would have been in bad shape because we were in a remote location in upstate NY where all emergency services are volunteers and took a while to get to us. I will never forget watching it happen, it seemed like it was in slow motion.
When I was in flight school, any activity around an airplane, from doing checks, boarding, fuelling anything, the key was either on the seat or on top of the dashboard where it was visible, even having the key in the ignition in the OFF position was a write up. This rule is the best policy
This is why I always walk atleast ten feet in front of a spinning prop and out to the wing tips. I feel for her friends, family and the people that saw it happen. I couldn’t imagine what they’re going through
Thank you for this very respectful analysis and your efford to open our eyes for the dangers we a re "used" to and which become so much more dangerous because of this dangerous "routine".
My first reaction to the title was “one step at a time.” Now that I’ve watched the whole video… I think it’s still that. “Situational awareness” is the overriding concept that must be ingrained in everyone operating and being around aircraft. As one who has piloted CE182 and 206 jump planes (as recently as 1995), there is a lot of activity during hot loading. The victim, I imagine, in the throe of “viewfinder capture” was attempting to frame the boarding skydivers and simply backed into the propeller arc… one step at a time.
If I know that the engine is hot, and not running, I still avoid the propeller arc as though it were a loaded firearm. It could move without warning in this situation. Just treat it with a lot of respect and never forget the danger. Never become complacent around airplanes. Or anything or anyone who has the power to kill you.
When I went sky dive lesson in the 70's The school had two guards for and aft of the door for for entering sky divers. There was no way we would walk in to the prop let alone get ahead of the strut. Most of the time the pilot actually shut the engine down. Extra guards or shut down is cheap insurance.
'How can someone so familiar with aircraft walk into a propeller ?'... The answer is in the question. My guess is that almost everyone suffering this fate was familiar with being around aircraft. we drop our guard. People unfamiliar with aircraft remain wary of just about everything involved and stay clear. Typically they'll be guided constantly by the pilot as to how to approach and enter or exit.
That’s really sad 😢. I remember my first instructor saying to me to take a wide berth on all engines, and look inside the plane to make sure nobody is inside that might start up the plane too. I’ve used this method to this day, never getting close to any engine, running or not.
Such a sad situation for all involved. Nobody expects a death to happen so suddenly or needlessly. When I first of this my thought was..oh no! The photographer is never the victim on any video!😢
Statistics: Airplane stats for human/prop contact are 1/3 fatal, 2/3 serious with occasional minor injuries. Fatalities are worse for helicopters as tail rotors are usually mounted higher off the ground compared to most props and therefore more likely to cause a fatal head injury. Pilots are very rarely injured or killed as they’re usually at the controls while the engine is running. I took a course during my initial maintenance training a long time ago and the stats just stayed in my brain. To this day I never let passengers out or in with the engine running. I just shut down and restart as required. I ask my passengers to watch for people approaching the plane while I’m heads down with the preflight checklist. I’m always ready to turn off the mags if someone approaches. In the very rare occasion when I’m on floats and need someone outside on the float to grab a dock or lanyard, I firmly command that person to stay behind the wing strut and ask questions to make sure they understand why and how they would be injured or killed if they stand in front of the strut. ie, if the floats hits the dock or an underwater object, the sudden stop will cause them to fall forward into the prop. I don’t tell them, I make them tell me. The briefing only takes a minute, a prop strike kills forever.
Reminds me of Australian golfer Jack Newton (1950-2022), who in 1983 survived but lost an arm and an eye after exiting a Cessna and walking into the spinning propeller at Sydney airport.
Spotters are always a good idea around airplane photographers. I've been in similar situations where I just get lost in the camera eye, and stepped out into moving traffic while on recent trips to europe. It's easy to do, yet so hard to understand if you've not been in those situations before.
Jack Newton the Australian Golfer lost an arm. We had a Baggage Handler walk into an F27 Fokker Friendship prop on a dark wet night & was killed. Most of us count on Props always being alive & walking around them.
I seem to remember a somewhat famous golfer who was about to board an aircraft and walked past a spinning propeller, and lost his arm. I think it was in the 70s or 80s? EDIT: I just checked. It was Jack Newton in July of 1983. He was rushing to get into the plane, at night, during a rainstorm, after the pilot had started the engine. He lost his right arm, his right eye, and suffered severe abdominal injuries. He lived.
As with many if not most aviation accidents, there were several factors/errors in judgment that came together to make this happen. Nor shutting off the engine, photographer in front of the wing, pilot not aware of someone in a dangerous area, etc.
It appears that a number of people have experienced similar incidents. My experience occurred in Vietnam. A forward observer on board a helicopter walked into the tail rotor. He was an experienced crew member as an FO, and yet he walked into the tail blade. It was believed/rumored that he had his mind on other things at the time. In any event, he died because of his mistake.
As a pilot and someone who worked the line for years complacency and letting your guard down can get you killed very easily on a ramp. I had a Piper Arrow that turned over after I went to pull it forward, the plane was empty but the pilot left the mags hot. Training kept us safe like when we had to fuel the S-76 life flight helicopters while they were still running when they were in a hurry to get back out. You get so used to the noise and bustling going on it can catch you in a tight spot.
I used to work on the flightline when I was in the Air Force. I didn't have to worry too much about walking too close to an F-4 intake. It's high off the ground. At my first base we had F-16s that used to scare the 💩 out of me. If you get within 4 feet of the intake it can suck you in. Luckily I worked in a backshop then. I have gotten blown by jet wash before because I wasn't looking, but nothing serious. It's so loud on the flightline. We're wearing hearing protection and can't really hear the dangers.
is there also an area around the propeller where you would be sucked into the propeller with these kinds of engines, I mean, my guess would be that if it's the variable pitch that stops the prop from producing power it will cause quite a suctions effect... not like a turbo-fan engine, but still... I can see in that case her thinking she was safe and losing her footing at the last minute...
11:09 That happens due to our natural tendency toward efficiency in our actions and lives. It’s inevitable that slowly-like a tree grows, that efficiency will test the bounds of safety-and you can’t stop it. What you can do, though is make a habit of periodically evaluating how your routines may have evolved-how they compare to before, and if they still are in line with the broader norms. You have to stop and make a point of this…it’s like you’re like the frog in the pot of water, and if you wanna stay safe, you gotta jump out every now and then to take your temperature…otherwise you will eventually boil.
I used to work as a mechanic at a charter/sked operation in Northern Manitoba. One afternoon a small boy decided he wanted to get on the plane with grandma and bolted out the unlocked door and ran straight toward the turning propeller on grandma’s airplane. A baggage handler saw the kid, sprinted across the apron and dove into the little kid saving his life. It was as close as it could get. I was on the “safety committee” and advocated for a lock on the door. That didn’t happen and I moved on. A couple years later, Transport Canada pulled their ticket and they went out of business.
@ Most of the baggage handlers handlers were pilots working for minimum wage while hoping to eventually get a chance to fly. That guy should have been given a flying job right on the spot for his quick action.
I've attached ground power to a ga aircraft (Da40) and if I tripped over the cables, or slipped while unplugging it, I can see it happening, even just walking around a busy apron, complacency or a moment of carelessness could in all reality end in tragedy
My deepest condolences to her family and friends🙏🏼 I agree, it should be mandatory that the aircraft engine and prop be stopped anytime anyone is boarding or de boarding! If this can happen to a seasoned aircraft passenger then it can happen to anyone.
Don't know the particulars of this incident .. but, propellers, operating as they do, in any other environment, would have fences, and signs, around them, etc .. safety, safety .. There's something to be said about familiarity too, .. if one's mind is on other things, .. it can appear so obvious to an outsider, when things like this happen. Maybe not the best example: I got used to walking through a darkened doorway, because the door was ALWAYS open .. until one day .. "bonk!"
This happened in 2022 to a female going for a ride in a diamond 40. She was never in one before and was in front. The pilot did not shut the plane off. She step on the wing and got off toward the front step down. Walked right into the prop and was killed. She was switching seats with a passenger in the back. The pilot did not want to stop the engine. Never told her about the danger of the prop and asked them to hurry as it was raining.
When she exited the aircraft she was behind the strut, so she either had to walk around it or duck under. A sad thing either way. I feel for the witnesses. I saw a man die that way when I was 12 or 13, way back in 1958 or 59, and I will never quite get it out of my head. I was hanging around the flightline as usual, something I was always doing back then, watching maintenance airmen working on a C-124. They had one prop off, sitting a a stand, and another engine had the entire cowling removed. But that one was running and not at an idle. A man came from the front on a bicycle and rode straight into the prop. I'm guessing there was no prop wash because he was in front and probably thought the prop was off and the one on the stand. It's been over 60 years and it's still a vivid memory.
I have worked in construction all of my life. All it's takes is a moment for someone to lose awareness and it's over! I have seen some good friends die because of a lapse of judgement on the job.
I remember a news item some years ago where a woman was killed by walking into a Cessna Skymaster's rear propeller, I think she was a passenger and after getting out forgot it had a rear prop.
I worked for an FBO years ago and was extremely cautious of moving props or running jet engines. Nevertheless, I came off the wing of a King Air after fueling and walked right into the prop. It almost knocked me out just sitting still. Yes, I avoided it to get to the wing tank but didn't see it after fueling. I cannot imagine the horror of an accident like this. So sad for her and everyone involved.
In the mid 1970's I was working at the Mammoth Lakes, CA airport. One Winter evening just after sunset on a Sunday a panicked call came out over the Unicom radio screaming that there was an accident. I was alone in the office and took the call. I grabbed a blanket and rushed to the scene on the tarmac. A Cessna 210 was parked with lights on engine stopped. There a few feet in front of the engine a young girl in her 20's was on the ground motionless. I walked to her and could see she had gone head first into the spinning propeller partially decapitating her. According to her boyfriend, the pilot, she had walked to board and slipped on the wet, icy ground. I was in the Air Force and spent my entire career working on the flightline around jets and Recips (prop planes) and this was the only time I ever witnessed or was first on the scene of such an accident. It's one of those events you never forget.
I have a question. Can turboprop engines like those on the ATR 72 and propeller engines ( like this one) suck someone in just like jet engines can? Is their suction power similar to that of a jet?
So sad and condolences to her family. How can someone be so close a running propeller? When we start the engine we shout "clear". Engine should not be running when there is a passenger or anyone in the close proximity of the plane. Edited This is the fault of the management for allowing pilots to keep the engine running between passengers. Safe procedure is to either shut down the engine even if they have to pick up another group of skydivers, or have some flight school personnel to safely escort the passengers off the ramp. This is a very high risk operation. When we are dealing with people here, there is bound to be someone out of 100's of passengers who may walk into running propeller by mistake.
Wrong answer - sorry. Shouting "CLEAR" is a US thing, not used anywhere else because it is known to be meaningless. Saying the pilot should shut down every time simply indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of how these operations run. Saying 'It's the pilot's fault" represents a reprehensible disdain for everything decent in the world and a hateful view of every human being. Your contribution is hateful and meaningless. Hopefullly no one closely related to this tragedy will ever see it.
@@gregfaris6959 Wow that is one angry response. I made corrections to my response. But I still think that management should either shut down the engine or have alert personnel to guide all passengers safely off the tarmac.
In videography industry, safe practice is to have someone grabbing and directing videographer at all time to prevent tripping. Even if she didn't walk into propeller, moving while framing picture is not safe anywhere, you could tripped and fall.
I was going flying with my boss years ago. He had left his phone in the office and I was going to get out and go get it, as I was getting out he grabbed my arm and said " Don't walk into the prop". I planned on going around the back of the plane but I thanked him later for saying it.
I honestly don’t know the answer to this, but is it practical to turn the engine off and on all day long at a jump zone operation like this? How does that affect the equipment?
Starting and stopping piston engines has little or no adverse affects. Some tribal knowledge and training will overcome difficulties encountered on fuel injected engines. Carbureted engines are not hard to start. Hard climb outs to altitude and shock cooling on the way back down to the airfield are much harder on the engine.
Starts and stops cause much less (or none) damage compared to hard climbs to altitude at gross weights and shock cooling on the way back down. There is a technique for starting hot fuel injected engines.
It's really bad for the equipment, because the business is bankrupt after the second day, and sitting idle for months during liquidation is harmful to the engines.
I used to get really irritated by my flight instructor, constantly reminding me about how dangerous the spinning propeller is. Seems to me that once you've been told about it, it's a blatantly obvious danger. Unfortunately, people shooting camera footage can become oblivious to their own surroundings. I've even seen them step off of high buildings or into canals. It happens, unfortunately. So the real takeaway is that this is not an aviation incident. It's something that photographers need to address to keep safe whatever their surroundings. Any photography course should include a warning that you should always check your surroundings before filming and then make sure you don't venture out of your safe space without looking again.
I wonder if she was trying to get a shot of that cool WW2 inspired teeth bearing smile on the cowling while the jumpers were getting in…spontaneous decision acting as a photographer rather than a jumper. Condolences to everyone involved.
I really liked your dissertation on the engine HP, the RPM, the speed of the prop tips, and material of the blades. Quite unnecessary, but interesting.
Very good explanation and advice. A safety person is good, but even with they can get complacent in what I have seen. Humans WILL still get themselves killed. Sad but true. But your advice is EXCELLENT.
I almost did this. I'm alive, only because my friend caught me. I was in the merchant marine and we were going home. We took a small commuter prop plane from Tampa to the Dallas Fort Worth airport. I didn't know it when I got on the plane but my sinuses were blocked. I've had sinus problems all my life. When the plane reached altitude I realized my sinuses were blocked. I was a scuba diver so I knew how to clear them but I couldn't. I was in agony. When plane landed at Dallas Fort worth the pain was gone but my head was still spinning. I wasn't myself. I staggered off the plane and was walking directly into the prop when my friend grabbed me and pulled me back. Thinking back, I'm surprised that no one on the crew was blocking the passengers from doing what I did but there was nothing to prevent it.
As a fixed wing and helicopter pilot I believe a lot of the fault falls on the pilot. They should instruct their passengers on the hazards. Too many pilots become complacent. What is obvious to us is not always obvious to your passengers. Same thing also applies to outboard and inboard boats.
Interesting video. Thank's, Dan. BTW: At around 6:45 we can see a guy adjusting a camera while the prop behind him is spinning. And the "safety guy" at the entry door ... needs a haircut ... and should remove his shades... in order to do his job properly. What I'm trying to say is: Many people are unaware of the risks, no matter how often you tell them. Real flight safety starts with a sense of professionalism. To build this sense one has to use common sense (which is based on knowledge) and watch videos like this! And before every single day of operation there must be a briefing with the key safety points. I doubt that the parachute community is willing to do this. They are mainly focussed on safely jumping, not on safely boarding an airplane. Hope I'm wrong but this is what I've observed many times as a pilot in different parts of the world. The complacency of some skydivers and some of their pilots is well known. And today it is more important to get a cool picture, selfie or video instead of focussing on the "simple" process of boarding an airplane. The GoPro syndrom must have taken more lives than the dangerous activity itself... That's not a statistic, though. I know, turning off an engine and restart it when it's hot is pretty challenging with old fashioned Lycomings & Co. But since we are talking about safety... Turning off the engine every time of boarding new jumpers would be possible and relatively easy. It would be a real safety enhancement if sky diving airplanes had a bigger battery to re-start their engine. Ask the families of the victims... And finally, when I do the walkaround before I take my jumbojet for a spin there are a lot of trucks, cars, vans and fast moving cargo vehicles rushing to do their job "on time"... at night and in foggy, rainy or snowy conditions. That's the most dangerous part of flying for me as a captain. I have seen accidents. PS: Talking about safety: What skydivers rarely know is the experience background of their pilots. In general most of these mostly young pilots are building flight time to become commercial pilots in the future. As a skydiver I would not fly with a pilot which has less than 1000 hours and/or landings. Don't be shy to have a look at their logbook. Remember: A Cessna 182 in sky diving OPS is always flying on the limit. That's exactly why you need an experienced pilot. Pay a bit more for the jump and you will live longer. Simple, isn't it? If this is new for you, ask Dan Millican, the sky diver and pilot here on the program. It's a very good and important video. Regards from the other side of the pond. RS PPS: This "Taking Off" ten minute video should be mandatory before EVERY jump. Jumpers, are you willing to do it? Good. If not, you are a lousy sky diver. I do have your attention now... Have fun jumping out of fully functioning airplanes. 😀 And think about Amanda and her family! Amanda's Funeral GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-amanda-gallagher-funeral-support
I blame the PILOT every time this happens. 😢 They are RESPONSIBLE for the safety of their passengers. Why don't they turn OFF the engines before letting passengers out? As a RULE, in my non-expert opinion, they shouldn't even open the doors until the engines are off.
The man I flew with a few times wouldn't let anyone exit the plane until the prop came to a stop. Why isn't this a practice used by all pilots?
Because of what I talked about (and not saying it's right, just whats going through their heads)-- that its just easier if the person deplanes without stopping-- its a lot of work to get the plane started again.
@@gregfaris6959 that is very correctable, you just need to change the way responsibility works in these cases...under the current system, the pilot is free, possibly even flying. now, if he faced being charged with manslaughter and facing 2-3 years in prison with all the ramifications of that, I think the balance of safety over profit in his thought process would change a lot... (not that he is not facing consequences, this is life changing trauma for him, but the level of prior deterrence of a potential prison term and ruined life would have much greater than the vague understanding you will have to live with anything that happens for the rest of your life (which is the real punishment))
@TakingOff
If restarting an engine is so difficult, what are you supposed to do about an engine stall in flight? I tend to think it will be done relatively quickly, especially if it happens at 2000 ft. No disrespect, but I don't buy the excuse.
Or, at the very least, have a deboard briefing that all passengers must exit and move only toward the rear of the plane. Or in case of a helicopter, move forward only.
@@brianschumaker5912 Hi Brian-- let's take my engine in a Cessna 210, it's a TSIO-520-R. If I shut it down and then a few moments later try to start, it is notoriously difficult to restart (not impossible, just tricky). It's easy to drain your battery which is using it's energy to turn the crankshaft. In flight, the windmilling effect keeps the crankshaft spinning enable a restart to be much easier. AND, an engine "stall" in flight (Im assuming you mean an engine cuts off, only airfoils "stall") means that you've lost the magnetos or you turned the magentos off OR fuel exhaustion or starvation. Just turn your mags back on and the windmilling effect keeps "cranking" the engine and you can restart. Clear the fuel starvation if thats the problem (switch tanks). Fuel exhaustion, you're a glider anyway. Engine failure, sure, but you're not restarting the engine in flight if you've thrown a rod.
@@brianschumaker5912 Airplane engines rarely stall in flight. The most likely caused for an engine stall is fuel exhaustion. If the pilot can switch to another fuel tank - that still has fuel - then he may be able to use the electric starter to restart the engine. Other than than, most inflight engine failures cannot be restarted in the air.
My instructor did it. Was in the run up area with 2 other aircraft. A fellow instructor was having trouble getting the canopy shut on our flight schools Piper sport so he got out of the aircraft he was in with his student. Instead of stepping off the back of the wing (it was a Piper warrior he was in) he jumped off the front, and right into the prop. And that was the end of him. He was an extremely proficient & safety minded instructor. We surmised he must have simply forgotten about the spinning propeller in the “white noise” of all the engines running around him. This was August of 2010. RIP Mike 🙏🏻
WOW!! If he could do it, anybody could do it!
This is why one must never rush any action.
I also always assume the prop is always running even if it's tied down, masters off, prop lock in place, etc. I make this assumption until I consciencely verify that the props are not spinning. I have learned to respect the prop at all cost.
Also, never jump off the front of a wing no matter what.
i think you'll find the overwhelming majority of these people to be women. lack of situational awareness and the ability to multitask is a problem. ironically enough they were shown to be better at multitasking than men, but this is from a flawed study that tried to show inability to focus as strongly as men as some kind of asset. doing dishes and talking on the phone is a bit different from navigating gps, operating complex machinery and instruments while using a radio
@@cagneybillingsley2165 Careful dude, your misogyny is showing. Better cover that up before someone sees it again. ;)
They had a momentary lapse in their situational awareness. Could happen to anyone. RIP.
I agree, and this is what scares me.
It’s disappointing how many of the commenters here think it can’t happen to them, like this victim was intrinsically defective somehow.
@@lebojayMaybe not intrinsically defective but at least monumentally ignorant. Like taking selfies with a cobra.
Standing on a tarmac near a running plane is never just routine
but it mostly happens to women
As someone who works on the line at a busy FBO, when you're out there all day every day (or are around planes constantly) a lot of the busy airport sounds start to subconsciously blend together. Your brain starts to ignore it. The best way I avoid a catastrophe like this is that I always walk forward, never backward. If I'm around a running propeller aircraft, I always walk towards the wingtips and walk a wide orbit if I ever have to traverse the front of it, but all without taking my eyes off of the wheels and props to make sure the brakes are still working.
This is truly sad this happened.
I vividly recall the accident in 2011. Story goes, she went up to look at the areas Christmas lights (in early December). It was a tailwheel aircraft but I have forgotten what exactly the make/model of the A/C was. Exited the aircraft just fine, then was going back to thank the pilot for the ride and never saw or thought about the prop that was at idle RPM. It was dark and while the ramp had lights, they were not bright enough to clearly see the aircraft in detail and certainly not the prop. When local EMS arrived, it was quickly determined she needed to be airlifted to a Level 1 trauma center. The first and most well known air ambulance operator in the area were unable to make the flight due to deteriorating weather. The EMS crew via radio to dispatcher and they called another air ambulance operator, and they were dispatched and airborne in 5 minutes with around 10-12 ETA. Local EMS had her prepped for transport to a level 1 trauma center without incident. I was friends of the responding Fire/Rescue that initially was dispatched to the location. There are probably *very few people* that have survived walking into a spinning prop.
Bellanca Citabria, and updated version of the 1946 Aeronca Champion. Citabrias are often used for aerobatic instruction.
@@avflyguy Airplane stats are 1/3 fatal, 2/3 serious with occasional minor injuries. Fatalities are more common with helicopter tail rotors as they’re mounted higher off the ground compared to most props and therefore more likely to cause a fatal head injury. I took a course during my initial maintenance training a long time ago and the stat just stayed in my brain. I never let passengers out or in with the engine running. I just shut down and restart as required. I ask my passengers to watch for people approaching the plane while I’m heads down with the preflight checklist. I’m always ready to turn off the mags if someone approaches.
these are the types of people that are easily hypnotized because they are absent minded. they are therefore impressionable like children and easily persuaded by mass media that a certain person is austrian painter or some other equally unnuanced absurd notion.
Complacency around dangerous things.....is a thing. You can't see the prop when it's moving, especially when backing up.
My brother in law was cutting down a tree and it killed him, only four years back. Complacency, that's what did it. Yes, it was his job.
I was at high School in the uk in the mid 70s we had a school gardener who lost both hands whilst starting a prop plane in ww2. Talk about, make the most of what you have! He worked hard and had things made to make his life easier, he even smoked a pipe! We were blown away with his dedication, can you imagine these days, the person would be on invalidity until his multi million compensation arrived! He retired around 1982, his name was Mr. Heaps (or Heeps?) total hero and role model!
There are some things you just don't do: You don't cross the street looking into your phone.
I see it more and more.
Been there done that, thank God I wasn't killed. 😂😢😢😢
almost exclusively a female problem. men keep their head up when danger is close. women never evolved to develop that type of awareness
This accident is very similar to something that I remember from 2007.
I had taken a hiatus from aviation for several years and took my time to get current. I flew something like 5 hours before I decided that I was ready for a BFR and renting airplanes. My instructor during this time was a 24 year old rising star named Mike. I remember him as being a bit of a workaholic. He was always busy. He instructed in scuba diving at a local beach. He taught ballroom dancing at night. One day I was early for a lesson and found him in the parking lot rotating his tires. He was always busy. He was a very good pilot and I considered him one of the best I had flown with. He seemed pretty safety conscious to me, but a few months after I flew with him, he was killed by a prop strike.
The accident happened while he was in the run up area with a student. They were preparing to takeoff in a Piper Warrior (or perhaps a Cherokee 140). He noticed that another one of the flight school's planes was running up at the same time. It was a new Piper Sport Cruiser with a sliding canopy. The pilot was having a hard time closing the canopy and Mike decided to help the pilot close the canopy. He opened the Cherokee's door and instead of exiting behind the wing, he jumped in front of the wing and got killed almost instantly by the spinning propeller. I think he was preoccupied with helping the other pilot and just didn't think to take a precaution that he probably taught to many former students. Maybe habituation had something to do with it or he just had his "eyes on the prize" and didn't think things out.
We lost a smart and talented pilot that day in a split second. A memorial fund still exists for him years later. Try not to be the guy with a memorial fund!
Wow, thanks for sharing. What an incredibly sad story of Mike.
@@TakingOff Plain and simple, complacency. People get complacent working in dangerous environments when they get habituated to that danger.
@@TakingOff I'll say this also. I was raised in an environment where dangerous machinery was around, and it was drummed into me and my brother to NEVER be inattentive around such equipment. That early training has stuck with is, and it boggles our minds to see how careless others can be in similar environments.
@@TakingOff Now that I've watched the video, you said almost exactly what I did. This really isn't complicated.
When I was young in high school, I worked in a sawmill. In my opinion, one of most dangerous environments one can find. This early training for safety kept My head on a swivel through my years of flying aircraft. Ground operations with aircraft are a dangerous environment. Nighttime operations are especially dangerous. Please be extra careful out there……
I worked for an operator that paints one strip on the tip of one blade, two strips on the second tip of the blade and three strips on the tip of the third blade, making pulse or strobe effect of a rotating propeller at low power settings. I wish everyone would do this, propellers are invisible while they are spinning otherwise.
That's great but it wouldn't have worked in this case since she backed into it.
“Superior judgment trumps superior skills”. I’m a big rig trucker, and truer words about safety have never been spoken! I can’t tell the number of times I avoided hitting something with my truck, or even worse, by relying on safety-focused judgment, and NOT my BELIEF in my skill at operating the truck!
having judgement and discernment is a kind of skill. unfortunately it's probably genetic and most people will never be able to develop it
I had a similar situation when I was taxing a cessna 210 and following the lines into a bay next to a hangar. There a heap of people and small children lined up next to the doors of the hangar. I was taxing very slow and looking out for people movements . Just as I was coming to a halt there was a vroomed sound with the engine misfiring . The windscreen was covered in red and bits of something. Mixture off ,engine power knob to back and mags off and park brake to set. I sat there for eternity and glanced out the side window and the hangar doors were covered in red and entails and the people also covered in blood and bits were running around . I couldnt breath ,my mouth was dry. My legs wouldn’t work and people were rushing over to my aircraft . I opened the door and slide out of the aircraft . I am sorry,I am sorry is all in could say . Then the hangar owner which I knew came over and said to me “That bloody dog ,I knew it was going to happen one day “. I burst into tears .
It doesn’t matter how carefull you are and follow the rules there can be an outside influence can cause you to have an accident .
Oh my goodness.... I can't imagine the absolute stomach churning feeling you would have had.
that happened in 1981 and even today when I taxi around aircraft my legs some times began to shake . I finally relax as I take off.
Your vivid description brought tears to my eyes. As a kid in the 1980's we lived on a remote ranch and relied on aircraft for our mail and some supplies during the winter. Same thing as here, too familiar and focused on getting the mail etc. another rancher walked into the prop. Awful, still tears me up. We loaded him back on the plane and he flew off for medical aid but it was of no hope. The plane was only on the ground for 3 or minutes. Not the pilots fault. small runway and the guy just walked into the prop. I imagine the pilot, who we all knew, must of been beyond shocked. Your description...wow.
a dog was killed? is that what you mean?
@@RuthRodriguez-zb2in Yes the dog was destroyed ,it seems it had a habit of running towards aircraft and barking . It was a so called security dog for that hangar.
Throughout my private, instrument commercial and multi training in prop aircraft, we were always hyper cognizant of this danger, reiterated it verbally every time anyone was anticipated to be anywhere near an operating aircraft and never for one second lost focus on ths danger, yet we all knew it could happen at any second, with nothing we could do about it. Once you've gone through things as unnatural as engine-out, spin training, unusual attitudes in IMC you learn than humans can get used to ANYTHING, and conditions that would scream danger to an uninitiated person become routine to the more experienced; This is where complacency creeps in. I doubt there is a professional pilot anywhere who has not had cold shudders at the thought of a prop accident, but this case is the perfect example of how something like this can innocently take a step backward into the rest of your life....
I remember the director Boris Segal died when he got off a helicopter and walked into the rear rotor. He used to direct early episodes of combat and Vic Morrow who was famously killed on the set of the twilight zone movie in a helicopter accident years later. Boris Segal also directed an episode of the twilight zone. In that episode a guy puts his hand through a spinning propeller to try to prove the airplane wasn't real.
It’s more spooky than that as Morrow was not in the helicopter. He was killed by the main rotor blades after the helicopter lost lift during set pyrotechnics gone wrong.
He was Katy Sagal's dad.
@ ... and Vic Morrow was Jennifer Jason Leigh's dad.
You never walk aft of a helicopter. For this very reason.
Some people are so carried away by selfies that they often don’t notice how they find themselves under a jet engine turbine. Saw this many times on the ramp
😮😮😮😮😮
Majority of humans are SOUND ASLEEP at the controls of their body. It’s insane. No one is present in the moment with full situational awareness.
^^^ This. The rest of the video is babble.
yeah stuff like this never happened before cameras were invented
Such a sad and tragic loss. Thank you for the breakdown of this horrific tragedy. Keep up the excellent work. Safe skies, my friend.🇺🇸🛩️
Man that is awful.😢 Praying for her family, friends, coworkers, witnesses. Sounds like she had a momentary loss of situational awareness in order to get the best possible shot. Says a lot about about her - an excellent work ethic. So sad that ended up costing her, her life.😢
Just another example of how true the saying is: “Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity, or neglect.”
I appreciate your video, Dan. Not an easy one to do. Very informative.
I forgot to add that this almost happened to my dad on his very first day on base up in Brunswick Maine when he joined the Navy back in 1959. It was night time and extremely noisy, with aircraft moving everywhere. He was walking and suddenly someone grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back violently. Whoever that man was saved his life!😮
Thanks SMitty. I wasn't going to do this video. But decided to go ahead finally.
@ I totally understand. Glad you did, since this will undoubtedly save someone & their families the grief and pain of this happening again.
People who are involved in Aviation have to remember: If you don't walk into propeller arcs, you won't walk into a propeller. Never a reason to be near a prop arc if it is running. Practice staying away from the prop arc when they are off aside from pre-flight and you will never walk into a prop. Years ago asked a Chief standing in a Hangar at NAS Oceana if I could step in with my Mom who even being an Air Force Vet loved Corsairs and had never seen one up close. The Chief said "Oh sure, bring her in just stay out of the prop arc". Not only was he so friendly to us, he was also keeping us safe. The F4U in question was sitting in the Hangar of an F-14 Squadron but same rules, "Stay out of the arc!" People in Aviation have to teach and protect those not yet up to speed.
Outstanding job, Sir! Beautifully done!❤💪🙏
I am a pilot. One day at the airport a woman walked into a spinning prop. She immediately put her hands up to her face and blood came out all between her fingers. I grabbed a roll of paper towels and put the whole roll up against her face. Someone called 911 and an ambulance showed up, then a helicopter. She was medivaced out. I never saw her injuries, just alot of blood and her face covered. A few years later, I happen to see that plane again and the pilot get out. I very hesitantly approached the pilot to ask if he knew what happened to the woman that walked into the prop. He said that was his wife and she is fine now. I was very relieved.
wow.
Condolences from Minnesota
Geeze how horrible. Prayers for all.
I regularly travel as a passenger in helicopters (for work) and before boarding we pre-agree the waling route to the door, we stop outside the rotor arc and do not move until eye contact is confirmed with the pilot. No walking outside the agreed zone is allowed to make sure no one walks into the tail rotor. Same goes for exiting. Its may sound like a lot of bother but it becomes 2nd nature to stop, check and not proceed until sure so its adds hardly any time but its much safer. I'm sometimes doing this on a moving deck so its also really important to confirm that the rotor stabilization is off, not doing so has killed people when the ship rolls. If this was an industrial machin in a factory you would stay well away.
we all have experiences of doing something without thinking only to have a problem and think "that was stupid" in retrospect. That's why these safety procedures are so important. I can also imagine that under stresses (including the fundamental stresses of working in a high impact creative job where if you don't get the shot, you won't ever) could make this problem a lot worse.
You have some really good points about setup, planning, etc for where the photographer should be. To my mind that's exactly parallel the idea of a takeoff or approach briefing in commercial aviation.
Thank you Dan for including normalization of deviance. I have used this principle in instructing company pilots on importance of SOPs. Gradual drift from the standard is an incipient step in departing from safety protocols.
Thing's happen sometimes. Complacency plays a roll to a certain extent, the more comfortable you feel in a dangerous environment, the higher the chances of an incident occurring. Combat hero's know all about this.
My dad was a crop duster in the Lubbock, Texas area for nearly 40 yrs. and so I did all his loading from ages 12 to 18. The only safety regulation was don't walk into the prop and fortunately I never did; but the prop, the engine, the heat from that turbon exhaust all becomes part of your normal environment. Especially when 50% of your job is working in that area but the prop isn't even turning. I never really looked at the risk factor as being complacent, but that's it exactly. Great video, this message will save a life.
Well done.
I worked with the NCFS when I first graduated from school. I met a fine man that flew the.spotter plane flying over fires that a dozer operator or several of them. He told me he was a pilot out west, I assumed he meant Calif. He flew tankers that made retardant drops over forest fires. One day while on the tarmac, warming the engines he said a friend came out to bring him an apple. He told me once they get turning at high idle speed the props cannot be seen. His friend came out to plane while he yelled and waved to no avail. He watched his friend walk into the prop , himself helpless to do more than yell. I've never forgotten him telling me about that. I won't mention his name but he was a first class pilot and person.
My grandpa was on a aircraft carrier right after WW2, he said on the flight deck they were told to never look directly at the spinning props as they might walk into them. Always wondered if there was any truth to that.
The cause of all accidents is attributed to one word. That word is Inattention on the part of one or many. This a terribly sad event and I hope this video reaffirms the fact that complacency kills, and that others pay attention to hazards and avoid dangerous situations. Very sad, but a great video.
I have to disagree that all accidents are caused by inattention. Any seasoned investigator will tell you that a series of events lead up to an accident. Inattention may be a factor, but in this case there are several events which could have saved the young lady's life. #1. If the pilot had shut down the engine before anyone left the aircraft. #2. If someone had saw the young lady backing and yelled stop.. 3. If the lead person in charge of the skydivers had briefed everyone to step toward THE REAR of the aircraft or straight ahead out of the door this accident may not have happened. So, in my opinion, inattention was only a contributory cause.
Situational awareness.
I think most of us has had a momentary lapse of mental awareness and realized this without incurring harm. It can happen to anyone so in a terrible tragedy like this the most I can say is there but for the grace of God go I.
👍✅ Another sad report Dan, everyone should learn from these.
I watch a good friend walk right into a moving propeller. He had just landed and parked a Cessna 150 with the aircraft owner. I was parked right in front of them. I got out of the car, my buddy got out on the right seat of the Cessna and ducked under the wing strut and right into the propeller. Lucky for him he was a big guy. The prop grabbed his sweatshirt and spun him around into the spinner, at which point he grabbed , in a bear hug manner, the prop and stopped it. I don’t know how it didn’t rip his arms off. If it had been any other plane i think he would have died. After he stopped the prop he turn toward me and said “I think I need to go to the hospital”. I responded with “no shit, lay down”. I assessed him and saw a huge cut to the bone in his left leg. Surprise to me he wasn’t bleeding, I think because of immediate shock setting in. He had his hands on his stomach, and they were covering where the spinner had hit him and he had a small wound there. He lived because the mayor artery in the leg was just missed by the prop. Had he had any mayor bleeding he would have been in bad shape because we were in a remote location in upstate NY where all emergency services are volunteers and took a while to get to us. I will never forget watching it happen, it seemed like it was in slow motion.
When I was in flight school, any activity around an airplane, from doing checks, boarding, fuelling anything, the key was either on the seat or on top of the dashboard where it was visible, even having the key in the ignition in the OFF position was a write up. This rule is the best policy
My wife wonders why I turn the engine to the pickup truck off when she walks in front or behind the vehicle.
I had no idea where you were going with this at the start, then I started shaking. I just can't imagine. God Speed Amanda. Peace --gary
Good quality video.
This is why I always walk atleast ten feet in front of a spinning prop and out to the wing tips. I feel for her friends, family and the people that saw it happen. I couldn’t imagine what they’re going through
Thank you for this very respectful analysis and your efford to open our eyes for the dangers we a re "used" to and which become so much more dangerous because of this dangerous "routine".
My first reaction to the title was “one step at a time.” Now that I’ve watched the whole video… I think it’s still that. “Situational awareness” is the overriding concept that must be ingrained in everyone operating and being around aircraft. As one who has piloted CE182 and 206 jump planes (as recently as 1995), there is a lot of activity during hot loading. The victim, I imagine, in the throe of “viewfinder capture” was attempting to frame the boarding skydivers and simply backed into the propeller arc… one step at a time.
If I know that the engine is hot, and not running, I still avoid the propeller arc as though it were a loaded firearm. It could move without warning in this situation. Just treat it with a lot of respect and never forget the danger. Never become complacent around airplanes. Or anything or anyone who has the power to kill you.
When I went sky dive lesson in the 70's The school had two guards for and aft of the door for for entering sky divers. There was no way we would walk in to the prop let alone get ahead of the strut. Most of the time the pilot actually shut the engine down. Extra guards or shut down is cheap insurance.
Happy to subscribe sad that she lost her life. Love peace and joy to her family and friends.
'How can someone so familiar with aircraft walk into a propeller ?'... The answer is in the question. My guess is that almost everyone suffering this fate was familiar with being around aircraft. we drop our guard. People unfamiliar with aircraft remain wary of just about everything involved and stay clear. Typically they'll be guided constantly by the pilot as to how to approach and enter or exit.
OMG, that is so sad. Condolences to the family of such a beautiful young lady.
Poor girl. 😢❤ Rest in Peace x
Gut wrenching worrible loss for the family. That she never felt a thing is your only condolence, I'm so sorry.
That’s really sad 😢.
I remember my first instructor saying to me to take a wide berth on all engines, and look inside the plane to make sure nobody is inside that might start up the plane too. I’ve used this method to this day, never getting close to any engine, running or not.
Such a sad situation for all involved. Nobody expects a death to happen so suddenly or needlessly.
When I first of this my thought was..oh no! The photographer is never the victim on any video!😢
Your smoke alarm chirping...
Brilliant example.
Statistics: Airplane stats for human/prop contact are 1/3 fatal, 2/3 serious with occasional minor injuries. Fatalities are worse for helicopters as tail rotors are usually mounted higher off the ground compared to most props and therefore more likely to cause a fatal head injury. Pilots are very rarely injured or killed as they’re usually at the controls while the engine is running. I took a course during my initial maintenance training a long time ago and the stats just stayed in my brain. To this day I never let passengers out or in with the engine running. I just shut down and restart as required. I ask my passengers to watch for people approaching the plane while I’m heads down with the preflight checklist. I’m always ready to turn off the mags if someone approaches. In the very rare occasion when I’m on floats and need someone outside on the float to grab a dock or lanyard, I firmly command that person to stay behind the wing strut and ask questions to make sure they understand why and how they would be injured or killed if they stand in front of the strut. ie, if the floats hits the dock or an underwater object, the sudden stop will cause them to fall forward into the prop. I don’t tell them, I make them tell me. The briefing only takes a minute, a prop strike kills forever.
Absolutely horrible.!
Great video though.
Reminds me of Australian golfer Jack Newton (1950-2022), who in 1983 survived but lost an arm and an eye after exiting a Cessna and walking into the spinning propeller at Sydney airport.
Spotters are always a good idea around airplane photographers. I've been in similar situations where I just get lost in the camera eye, and stepped out into moving traffic while on recent trips to europe. It's easy to do, yet so hard to understand if you've not been in those situations before.
Jack Newton the Australian Golfer lost an arm.
We had a Baggage Handler walk into an F27 Fokker Friendship prop on a dark wet night & was killed.
Most of us count on Props always being alive & walking around them.
I seem to remember a somewhat famous golfer who was about to board an aircraft and walked past a spinning propeller, and lost his arm. I think it was in the 70s or 80s?
EDIT: I just checked. It was Jack Newton in July of 1983. He was rushing to get into the plane, at night, during a rainstorm, after the pilot had started the engine. He lost his right arm, his right eye, and suffered severe abdominal injuries. He lived.
Wow. Horrible.
As with many if not most aviation accidents, there were several factors/errors in judgment that came together to make this happen. Nor shutting off the engine, photographer in front of the wing, pilot not aware of someone in a dangerous area, etc.
It appears that a number of people have experienced similar incidents. My experience occurred in Vietnam. A forward observer on board a helicopter walked into the tail rotor. He was an experienced crew member as an FO, and yet he walked into the tail blade. It was believed/rumored that he had his mind on other things at the time. In any event, he died because of his mistake.
As a pilot and someone who worked the line for years complacency and letting your guard down can get you killed very easily on a ramp. I had a Piper Arrow that turned over after I went to pull it forward, the plane was empty but the pilot left the mags hot. Training kept us safe like when we had to fuel the S-76 life flight helicopters while they were still running when they were in a hurry to get back out. You get so used to the noise and bustling going on it can catch you in a tight spot.
I used to work on the flightline when I was in the Air Force. I didn't have to worry too much about walking too close to an F-4 intake. It's high off the ground.
At my first base we had F-16s that used to scare the 💩 out of me. If you get within 4 feet of the intake it can suck you in. Luckily I worked in a backshop then. I have gotten blown by jet wash before because I wasn't looking, but nothing serious. It's so loud on the flightline. We're wearing hearing protection and can't really hear the dangers.
is there also an area around the propeller where you would be sucked into the propeller with these kinds of engines, I mean, my guess would be that if it's the variable pitch that stops the prop from producing power it will cause quite a suctions effect... not like a turbo-fan engine, but still... I can see in that case her thinking she was safe and losing her footing at the last minute...
11:09 That happens due to our natural tendency toward efficiency in our actions and lives. It’s inevitable that slowly-like a tree grows, that efficiency will test the bounds of safety-and you can’t stop it.
What you can do, though is make a habit of periodically evaluating how your routines may have evolved-how they compare to before, and if they still are in line with the broader norms.
You have to stop and make a point of this…it’s like you’re like the frog in the pot of water, and if you wanna stay safe, you gotta jump out every now and then to take your temperature…otherwise you will eventually boil.
I used to work as a mechanic at a charter/sked operation in Northern Manitoba. One afternoon a small boy decided he wanted to get on the plane with grandma and bolted out the unlocked door and ran straight toward the turning propeller on grandma’s airplane. A baggage handler saw the kid, sprinted across the apron and dove into the little kid saving his life. It was as close as it could get. I was on the “safety committee” and advocated for a lock on the door. That didn’t happen and I moved on. A couple years later, Transport Canada pulled their ticket and they went out of business.
Wow. Glad that baggage handler was able to save the kid.
@ Most of the baggage handlers handlers were pilots working for minimum wage while hoping to eventually get a chance to fly. That guy should have been given a flying job right on the spot for his quick action.
I live in Derby, KS. 2 mils from the drop zone. This is horrible
So sorry.
Poor thing this is so sad
I've attached ground power to a ga aircraft (Da40) and if I tripped over the cables, or slipped while unplugging it, I can see it happening, even just walking around a busy apron, complacency or a moment of carelessness could in all reality end in tragedy
My deepest condolences to her family and friends🙏🏼
I agree, it should be mandatory that the aircraft engine and prop be stopped anytime anyone is boarding or de boarding!
If this can happen to a seasoned aircraft passenger then it can happen to anyone.
Don't know the particulars of this incident .. but, propellers, operating as they do, in any other environment, would have fences, and signs, around them, etc .. safety, safety ..
There's something to be said about familiarity too, .. if one's mind is on other things, .. it can appear so obvious to an outsider, when things like this happen. Maybe not the best example: I got used to walking through a darkened doorway, because the door was ALWAYS open .. until one day .. "bonk!"
This happened in 2022 to a female going for a ride in a diamond 40. She was never in one before and was in front. The pilot did not shut the plane off. She step on the wing and got off toward the front step down. Walked right into the prop and was killed. She was switching seats with a passenger in the back. The pilot did not want to stop the engine. Never told her about the danger of the prop and asked them to hurry as it was raining.
When she exited the aircraft she was behind the strut, so she either had to walk around it or duck under. A sad thing either way.
I feel for the witnesses. I saw a man die that way when I was 12 or 13, way back in 1958 or 59, and I will never quite get it out of my head. I was hanging around the flightline as usual, something I was always doing back then, watching maintenance airmen working on a C-124. They had one prop off, sitting a a stand, and another engine had the entire cowling removed. But that one was running and not at an idle. A man came from the front on a bicycle and rode straight into the prop.
I'm guessing there was no prop wash because he was in front and probably thought the prop
was off and the one on the stand. It's been over 60 years and it's still a vivid memory.
Sorry I didn’t watch this one the intro was so heartbreaking!
I have worked in construction all of my life. All it's takes is a moment for someone to lose awareness and it's over!
I have seen some good friends die because of a lapse of judgement on the job.
I remember a news item some years ago where a woman was killed by walking into a Cessna Skymaster's rear propeller, I think she was a passenger and after getting out forgot it had a rear prop.
I worked for an FBO years ago and was extremely cautious of moving props or running jet engines. Nevertheless, I came off the wing of a King Air after fueling and walked right into the prop. It almost knocked me out just sitting still. Yes, I avoided it to get to the wing tank but didn't see it after fueling. I cannot imagine the horror of an accident like this. So sad for her and everyone involved.
In the mid 1970's I was working at the Mammoth Lakes, CA airport. One Winter evening just after sunset on a Sunday a panicked call came out over the Unicom radio screaming that there was an accident. I was alone in the office and took the call. I grabbed a blanket and rushed to the scene on the tarmac. A Cessna 210 was parked with lights on engine stopped. There a few feet in front of the engine a young girl in her 20's was on the ground motionless. I walked to her and could see she had gone head first into the spinning propeller partially decapitating her. According to her boyfriend, the pilot, she had walked to board and slipped on the wet, icy ground. I was in the Air Force and spent my entire career working on the flightline around jets and Recips (prop planes) and this was the only time I ever witnessed or was first on the scene of such an accident. It's one of those events you never forget.
Wow that’s horrible.
I have a question. Can turboprop engines like those on the ATR 72 and propeller engines ( like this one) suck someone in just like jet engines can? Is their suction power similar to that of a jet?
Good question. The air intake is smaller than one of the big airliner engines and is usually just behind the prop (usually below).
No
So sad and condolences to her family.
How can someone be so close a running propeller? When we start the engine we shout "clear". Engine should not be running when there is a passenger or anyone in the close proximity of the plane.
Edited
This is the fault of the management for allowing pilots to keep the engine running between passengers. Safe procedure is to either shut down the engine even if they have to pick up another group of skydivers, or have some flight school personnel to safely escort the passengers off the ramp. This is a very high risk operation. When we are dealing with people here, there is bound to be someone out of 100's of passengers who may walk into running propeller by mistake.
Wrong answer - sorry.
Shouting "CLEAR" is a US thing, not used anywhere else because it is known to be meaningless.
Saying the pilot should shut down every time simply indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of how these operations run.
Saying 'It's the pilot's fault" represents a reprehensible disdain for everything decent in the world and a hateful view of every human being.
Your contribution is hateful and meaningless. Hopefullly no one closely related to this tragedy will ever see it.
@@gregfaris6959 Wow that is one angry response. I made corrections to my response. But I still think that management should either shut down the engine or have alert personnel to guide all passengers safely off the tarmac.
In videography industry, safe practice is to have someone grabbing and directing videographer at all time to prevent tripping. Even if she didn't walk into propeller, moving while framing picture is not safe anywhere, you could tripped and fall.
There were 2 cases in Australian one a nurse and the softer a top golfer the nurse dies and the golfer lost an arm and eye.
more info on nurse please sir.'''
I was going flying with my boss years ago. He had left his phone in the office and I was going to get out and go get it,
as I was getting out he grabbed my arm and said " Don't walk into the prop". I planned on going around the back of
the plane but I thanked him later for saying it.
I honestly don’t know the answer to this, but is it practical to turn the engine off and on all day long at a jump zone operation like this? How does that affect the equipment?
Starting and stopping piston engines has little or no adverse affects. Some tribal knowledge and training will overcome difficulties encountered on fuel injected engines. Carbureted engines are not hard to start. Hard climb outs to altitude and shock cooling on the way back down to the airfield are much harder on the engine.
Starts and stops cause much less (or none) damage compared to hard climbs to altitude at gross weights and shock cooling on the way back down. There is a technique for starting hot fuel injected engines.
It's really bad for the equipment, because the business is bankrupt after the second day, and sitting idle for months during liquidation is harmful to the engines.
Just not something I even want to think about
My dad witnessed an accident like this when a flight attendant walked into the propeller of a DC-7 in the 1960's.
I used to get really irritated by my flight instructor, constantly reminding me about how dangerous the spinning propeller is. Seems to me that once you've been told about it, it's a blatantly obvious danger. Unfortunately, people shooting camera footage can become oblivious to their own surroundings. I've even seen them step off of high buildings or into canals. It happens, unfortunately. So the real takeaway is that this is not an aviation incident. It's something that photographers need to address to keep safe whatever their surroundings. Any photography course should include a warning that you should always check your surroundings before filming and then make sure you don't venture out of your safe space without looking again.
I wonder if she was trying to get a shot of that cool WW2 inspired teeth bearing smile on the cowling while the jumpers were getting in…spontaneous decision acting as a photographer rather than a jumper. Condolences to everyone involved.
I really liked your dissertation on the engine HP, the RPM, the speed of the prop tips, and material of the blades. Quite unnecessary, but interesting.
Thanks.
Oh sad and a horrible incident. Oh, so horribly sad. Such injuries...😢😢😢😢. Sadly the memories of the witnesses. 😮😢 Condolences. 😢
Many on the internet were clowning her, and that is saddening.
Very good explanation and advice. A safety person is good, but even with they can get complacent in what I have seen. Humans WILL still get themselves killed. Sad but true. But your advice is EXCELLENT.
I'm by no means a pilot but in the construction world complacency is the only killer! Good video and very respectful!
I almost did this. I'm alive, only because my friend caught me. I was in the merchant marine and we were going home. We took a small commuter prop plane from Tampa to the Dallas Fort Worth airport. I didn't know it when I got on the plane but my sinuses were blocked. I've had sinus problems all my life. When the plane reached altitude I realized my sinuses were blocked. I was a scuba diver so I knew how to clear them but I couldn't. I was in agony. When plane landed at Dallas Fort worth the pain was gone but my head was still spinning. I wasn't myself. I staggered off the plane and was walking directly into the prop when my friend grabbed me and pulled me back. Thinking back, I'm surprised that no one on the crew was blocking the passengers from doing what I did but there was nothing to prevent it.
Wow, so glad your friend was there.
@@TakingOff Thanks
As a fixed wing and helicopter pilot I believe a lot of the fault falls on the pilot. They should instruct their passengers on the hazards. Too many pilots become complacent. What is obvious to us is not always obvious to your passengers. Same thing also applies to outboard and inboard boats.
Interesting video. Thank's, Dan.
BTW: At around 6:45 we can see a guy adjusting a camera while the prop behind him is spinning. And the "safety guy" at the entry door ... needs a haircut ... and should remove his shades... in order to do his job properly. What I'm trying to say is: Many people are unaware of the risks, no matter how often you tell them. Real flight safety starts with a sense of professionalism. To build this sense one has to use common sense (which is based on knowledge) and watch videos like this! And before every single day of operation there must be a briefing with the key safety points. I doubt that the parachute community is willing to do this. They are mainly focussed on safely jumping, not on safely boarding an airplane. Hope I'm wrong but this is what I've observed many times as a pilot in different parts of the world.
The complacency of some skydivers and some of their pilots is well known. And today it is more important to get a cool picture, selfie or video instead of focussing on the "simple" process of boarding an airplane. The GoPro syndrom must have taken more lives than the dangerous activity itself... That's not a statistic, though.
I know, turning off an engine and restart it when it's hot is pretty challenging with old fashioned Lycomings & Co. But since we are talking about safety... Turning off the engine every time of boarding new jumpers would be possible and relatively easy. It would be a real safety enhancement if sky diving airplanes had a bigger battery to re-start their engine. Ask the families of the victims...
And finally, when I do the walkaround before I take my jumbojet for a spin there are a lot of trucks, cars, vans and fast moving cargo vehicles rushing to do their job "on time"... at night and in foggy, rainy or snowy conditions. That's the most dangerous part of flying for me as a captain. I have seen accidents.
PS: Talking about safety: What skydivers rarely know is the experience background of their pilots. In general most of these mostly young pilots are building flight time to become commercial pilots in the future. As a skydiver I would not fly with a pilot which has less than 1000 hours and/or landings. Don't be shy to have a look at their logbook. Remember: A Cessna 182 in sky diving OPS is always flying on the limit. That's exactly why you need an experienced pilot. Pay a bit more for the jump and you will live longer. Simple, isn't it? If this is new for you, ask Dan Millican, the sky diver and pilot here on the program. It's a very good and important video.
Regards from the other side of the pond.
RS
PPS: This "Taking Off" ten minute video should be mandatory before EVERY jump. Jumpers, are you willing to do it? Good. If not, you are a lousy sky diver. I do have your attention now...
Have fun jumping out of fully functioning airplanes. 😀
And think about Amanda and her family!
Amanda's Funeral GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-amanda-gallagher-funeral-support
I know someone who survived a propeller hit on the face. After several surgical procedures, he is almost normal.
At the end of the day, it comes down to lack of situational awareness, and complancy on Amanda's part. Very tragic, but she got complacent!!!
Is very easy to loose your awareness and walk into a spinning prop at day and especially at night. Stay clear of all prop arcs. 😢
I didn't even have to watch to know the answer. Their legs and feet!
I blame the PILOT every time this happens. 😢 They are RESPONSIBLE for the safety of their passengers.
Why don't they turn OFF the engines before letting passengers out?
As a RULE, in my non-expert opinion, they shouldn't even open the doors until the engines are off.
I just looked at every post, no one mentioned she was blond , still tragic RIP