Non-skydiving prop strike

[Jessica 0]

This wasn't within the sport, but I think it's relevant. Watch out for props, people.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A sports writer for a Delaware newspaper was killed when he was struck by the propeller of the small airplane as it prepared to take off, authorities said Saturday.

Ed Murphy, a reporter for The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., was leaving Richmond where he covered the Delaware State University women's basketball team when the accident occurred shortly before midnight Friday.

Airport spokesman Troy Bell said Murphy, 46, was a passenger in the private, single-engine Cessna 172. The plane was preparing to take off from Richmond International Airport when he got out to remove the blocks from under the airplane's nose wheel.

“At that point he got in the path of the propeller and suffered the injury,” Bell said. He said airplane propellers can be almost invisible late at night.

Bell said Murphy died before airport rescue personnel arrived.

The News Journal reported on its Web site that the plane was flown by Gary Emeigh of Milford, Del., a photographer for the newspaper.

[MC208B 0]

nosewheel chocked? Weird....

Pilot not shutting down then engine and removing them, or just "jumping" the chocks? Stranger still

[diverdriver 7]

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This wasn't within the sport, but I think it's relevant. Watch out for props, people.

“At that point he got in the path of the propeller and suffered the injury,” Bell said. He said airplane propellers can be almost invisible late at night.

Bell said Murphy died before airport rescue personnel arrived.

The News Journal reported on its Web site that the plane was flown by Gary Emeigh of Milford, Del., a photographer for the newspaper.

At night the prop can be "almost" invisible. What usually happens is that a person is fooled into thinking the prop is not turning because of the strobe light (anti-collision light) blinks and the prop seems to be sitting still for a split second. This would not be the first time that someone has just forgotten that the rushing air in their face was from a TURNING PROPELLOR!

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[Jimbo 0]

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This would not be the first time that someone has just forgotten that the rushing air in their face was from a TURNING PROPELLOR!

Or the noise from the engine.

I realize that things like this do happen, duh, but it boggles the mind trying to think about how someone can miss all the obvious clues.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[diverdriver 7]

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Or the noise from the engine.

I realize that things like this do happen, duh, but it boggles the mind trying to think about how someone can miss all the obvious clues.

-
Jim

Well, on a buisy ramp there can be a lot of engine noise so you might mentally block it out if you've been around it a lot. Like skydivers.......

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[AndyMan 7]

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I realize that things like this do happen, duh, but it boggles the mind trying to think about how someone can miss all the obvious clues.

It doesn't really boggle my mind, people do stupid things. Period.

Last week in illinois, a guy who's spent 20 years around trains was killed by one. He didn't clue in that there was a loud train wistle blasting, and approaching quickly. he didn't clue in that he was standing in the midle of the tracks, until it was too late.

Smart, intelligent, people who hang around planes, trains, and boats for decades make stupid mistakes and get killed. Shit happens.

Be vigilant. Don't be "that guy".

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[rgoper 0]

Chris:

i did some flight training in a cessna 172, the PIC/Flight Instructor, Carla Diedra was vigilant about the chocks being removed before boarding, it was part of the pre-flight.. is it the PIC responseability to make sure chocks are removed, before opening the port window and announcing "CLEAR" before turning the engine over? not trying to lay blame, just trying to realize some clarity on flight protocol, your one person i know that would know this. we were going in one day from having been deep water offshore, 150 miles off of the louisiana coastline, a Sikorsky S-76 was on the helideck, there were clear and consise boarding paths outlined on the helideck, all of the sudden a roustabout standing directly in front of me just started walking towards the tail rotor, i had to physically restrain him from continuing into the rotor. we were flying hot, as a drill crew had just got off of the aircraft, so the tail rotor as well as the top blades were turning at the time. he said later, after we did an immediate "stand down" that it was the paint scheme on the tail rotor that had him "mesmerized" while it did have a circular paint scheme on it, no one but him ever walked toward it. in either event, pumpkin air removed the paint schemes from all of their tail rotors. have you ever heard of an incident such as this? Thank You.

--Richard--
"We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

[pilotdave 0]

I can't believe the pilot had him do that. The only people I've let out of a plane I'm in control of with the engine running is skydivers (on the ground that is), and even with them I always tell them to walk BEHIND the plane when they get out. I would never let anyone go anywhere near the nose with the engine running. My guess is they were the pilot's own chocks and he wanted them back because it's really easy to jump them. My instructor taught me that trick once when I forgot to remove the nose chocks. He learned it on his commercial checkride when he had made the same mistake.

Since it seems so obvious and yet it happens so often to people that should know better, it really is something we should think about. It's easy to call the guy a dumbass, but maybe he was calling the last guy to do it a dumbass last week too.

Dave

[meatmissile 0]

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is it the PIC responseability to make sure chocks are removed

On a small aircraft, the Pilot in command should ensure that the chocks are removed before getting in. Either way, you shut the engine down prior to getting out to remove forgotten chocks. You do not send a passenger to do it.

On my checklist I have "Tie downs, covers and exterior locks removed" just after getting into the plane.

I'd rather look stupid than dead.

--
ZZZzzzz....

[nacmacfeegle 0]

"a Sikorsky S-76 was on the helideck"
Snip
"have you ever heard of an incident such as this"

I'm pretty sure a helideck crew memeber on one the Norwegian rigs got mashed by the main rotors on a 'Spirit' a couple of years back.

We don't have 'hazard areas' on our helidecks, but we do have HLOs (helideck landing officer-the guy in charge of the helideck, normally a helideck crew comprises 3 people minimum) who direct people to and from the boarding doors.
We load and disembark 'hot' nearly all the time, and I've even seen hot refuelling with a full PAX compliment on board.... Pretty rare nowadays though.

--------------------

He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[rgoper 0]

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but we do have HLOs (helideck landing officer-the guy in charge of the helideck, normally a helideck crew comprises 3 people minimum)

this is mandatory on most OSDU with a helideck now. but i've been on a few, last on in 1999 that didn't have the HLO crew. the incident i recalled there were no HLO either, we relied on our training. the guy that walked toward the rotor nearly cut his life short. the walkways were clearly striped on the landing surface, he just "lost it" as for refueling while on board...NOT! they don't pay enough for that.

--Richard--
"We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"