Woman Walks into Propeller?!?

[Hai Perso Coyone?]

A News item I found today on a completely non-aviation related website:

A woman was injured by a propeller while walking by a plane at the Lebanon airport last night.

Emergency responders arriving at the airport shortly after 6 p.m. found the 22 year old woman injured on her right side, arm and pelvis. The identify of the the woman is unknown due to federal privacy laws. The victim was flown to Vanderbilt by Lifeflight helicopter, where she underwent surgery last night and was reported in critical condition.

Witnesses said she had gotten out of the single-engine Cessna 172 and was walking around it when she accidentally walked into the propeller. Police said her father was the pilot and at least two other people were on board.

Hope It Was Interesting
Ashar

[chomp_rock]

Unfortunately this type of event is quite common, some people are just too stupid to realise that the time you can safely enter or exit the aircraft is when it is shut down. :-/

[jrpilot]

Same thing for helicopters....well not really....but many people are afraid that when walking in and out of a helicoptor that their head might get chopped off even though there is room....but I think when the blades are starting off they are low...but IDK heli.

[Craig.]

Jr with helicopters you are usually ok as long as the blades are moving at speed. But as they wind down they start to droop and even at slower RPM can cause you to loose an appendage. The general rule is keep your head down no matter the height of the prop disc, and dont throw your arms up in the air:)  Even choppers with the Lynx style hard blades can be problematic.

As for this story. Sad but all to common She is lucky to have survived and i am sure has learnt a valuable lesson. Even long time ramp workers suffer from accidents round props its just so easy to forget sometimes when your busy.

[TrinidadN98AV]

It would seem to me that common sense says "stay away from loud, fast spinning objects"  most people would be petrified to walk up to a running plane, much less get close enough to hit the prop.

[beaky]

It seems pretty easy to forget it's there- I've heard quite a few stories like this. People just walk right into them. Most aren't so "lucky" as this woman. The PIC should always warn pax to not exit until the prop stops moving. I always do...and  when they ask why I yell "clear prop!" before startup even if nobody's around, I tell them that it's so I'll never forget to do it. Then I usually tell them a blood-curdling prop-strike story, just to really set the mood  ;D.
And you've gotta keep an eye out when taxiing- be ready to yank the mixture if somebody gets to close. Man, that could ruin your whole day...

[Jared]

I feel bad for the father, think how giulty he feels now? I know he deserves to some extent...

[Rocket_Bird]

Same thing for helicopters....well not really....but many people are afraid that when walking in and out of a helicoptor that their head might get chopped off even though there is room....but I think when the blades are starting off they are low...but IDK heli.

Every passenger in a helicopter should be briefed by the pilot to keep their head down (or lean down) and step into and away from the helicopter where the pilot has a significant view of them.

[Hagar]

This is a tragedy that should never have happened. I've been around light aircraft all my life & used to swing the props at one time. I also taught others to do it safely.

[Saratoga]

I remember, not too long after I started flying for regionals in the EMB-120. The startup procedure called for the left engine to be started first, and company procedure wanted us to start even before all the passengers were out there (they have sinced changed that). The prop was less than 3 feet from the door. Which, if we absolutely had to start, meant one of the pilots was standing dangerously close to the prop keeping passengers from hitting it. I know one guy who stuck his left arm out to make sure a passenger went well away from the propeller and got it caught, tore his arm up horribly and ruined his flying career. Thankfully that procedure has since changed.

I do like the Dash-8 where you can completely disconnect the propellers, allowing the jets to run and provide electrical power, air conditioning, etc. and yet not have any sort of danger from a spinning propeller. Genius that they included that feature.

Sometimes I wish I still flew that old Brasilia, but the 757 is just so much more fun!

Do hope she's ok though...

[Staiduk]

It's real easy - because we all do it - to say 'how stupid!' etc. But most of us also realize how easy it is to have a momentary brainfart and do something so totally dumb it leaves us breathless.

Case in point: I was flying tow somewhere around '98, and doing the walkaround on our 'Big Green Jellybean' Citabria one morning. I can't remember exactly what I was doing; but I'd just gotten to the "Inspect cowling" part of the walkaround and started looking at something closely just inside the cowling. It took a few seconds for me to realize what I was doing - you know that "Oh $h!!!!!ttttt" feeling? I was standing astride the prop; hand on the upper blade; legs on both sides of the lower blade; with elbow resting on the spinner and right hand inside the cowling with the key in the ignition. No-one saw - thankfully - but lor' that's one of those things that years later still makes you smack your head.

[beaky]

Staiduk, that one gave me the shivers. You're right, though, even smart people do dumb things, esp. when engaged in some familiar activity.
  Best thing about sharing these stories is that it'll help us all remember how narrow the margin is in aviation...

[Hagar]

I got caught out by a prop just the once. Despite what I said previously about being careful I got complacent & almost paid the price for it. This is very easy when you're used to working with anything. When I first started in the business I looked after 4 aircraft in the club hangar. First thing in the morning during DI it was general practice to turn the props a few revolutions to get rid of any excess oil that had drained into the cylinder heads overnight, These were the old Gipsy Major inverted inline engines. The Tiger Moth has the mag switches outside the cockpit on the side of the fuselage so the mechanic can see them when he's swinging the prop, a very useful idea. I always checked these carefully before turning the prop & both sets of switches were in the OFF position. On this particular morning I turned the prop rather casually & the engine fired with the prop cracking me on the back of the hand. Fortunately the throttle was closed & the fuel switched off so it only turned the one revolution. It shook me up a little & left a big red weal on the back of my hand but otherwise I was OK. I was alone in the hangar & dread to think what might have happened.

When I investigated, the earth lead to the mag with the impulse starter mechanism had broken. This must have happened when I taxied the aircraft over to the hangar on the previous evening & shut the engine down. There was no sign of a problem & it had stopped nomally. I was extremely lucky & this was a timely lesson that I never forgot. Always treat a prop as if it's live.

[Staiduk]

"I've been around light aircraft all my life & used to swing the props at one time.

Actually; I had the opportunity to try that once.
Once.
I was around 15-16; can't for the life of me remember what the aircraft was; it was one of those Pup-ish private jobbies that collect in hangar corners. Anyhoo; the owner was one of the Cadets' sponsors and he let me swing the prop - with a great deal of talking to beforehand. Hey; I felt like a man striding out to that thing with him - reliving 'the romantic days of early flight' and all that, with images of SE5's and Camels and Jennys, etc.
Of course; then I got up to it and realized I was about to hand-start a gigantic food processor and would be standing right in its direction of travel....
and realized I wasn't exactly the most co-ordinated kid - a typical gangly teen...
I said "huuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh..... no." and backed off.
I'll watch the 'romantic days of early flight' thanks.

On a more serious note - one that just occurred to me: Someone else mentioned helos on this thread. You never, never, never walk 'round the front of an idling aircraft - and never, never, never walk 'round the tail of a helicopter - both for the same reason. I wonder how many preoccupied people have screwed that up and met nasty ends forgetting that rule?

[Staiduk]

Hi again - this thread just reminded me of an old video I have somewhere - a 1943 USAAF training video called 'Pilot Heaven'. Pretty much like any military training film; an instructor who's no actor (and doesn't need to be), a few cheap jokes and a deadly serious message.
The dude in the film is (was, rather) a P-38 instructor; and in the story wanders up to 'Pilot Heaven' where he jaws with all the pilots that killed themselves making common mistakes.
It's a pretty good film - I made a copy and donated it to a couple of the local Air Cadet squadrons. It's 1943; but the lessons are as valid today of course.
If you find it; I reccommend it.
And yes; there's a bit in it of a B-24 pilot who's not looking where he's going and walks into...well; you can guess. Good thing they didn't have special effects back then.
And actually, it's from that video I have my own personal mantra: "Never stretch a glide. Never stretch a glide. Never stretch a glide. Never stretch a glide."

(Which was a danger with me - I started by flying gliders; so was a bit too comfortable bringing the throttle back on a 172. I damn near got caught in a stall 200m off the end of the runway - never again.)