Idiot killed by jet blast at St Maartin

SixPapaCharlie said:
I bet it smells good there. Smelling burning Jet fuel reminds me of going to the airport when I was a young kid.
It was the only thing that smelled like that and it meant we were going somewhere.

Oh well.
RIP
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yup....the thing really stinks....to high heaven. ;)
 
azure said:
Exactly, getting thrown back by jet blast is not normally an assumed risk of going to the beach.

That is what isn't clear to me. That beach looks very tight, and departing jets have their tails pretty close to the fence, apparently, as they begin their takeoff roll. If that's an illusion due to camera angle or whatever and it's true that there is no danger at all beachward of the concrete barrier, then I'm less concerned. But that isn't at all clear from the (admittedly limited) view of the place from the pictures and video posted here.
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Nobody is at that beach that doesn't know about the arriving and departing aircraft - that is why they are there. There are a dozen or more cruise excursions specifically for taking you there either by boat or van to experience it. There are bars that have the tower feed on speaker and announce all inbound and outbound activity so you can go outside. In this case, the unsuspecting beach goer is in the 0.01%. As has been said above, there are some people that are more aggressive than others by hanging onto the fence - those are the only ones in danger, and they made the choice (and are fully aware or should be).
 
Are the small number of people who get gored in Pamplona "idiots" or just unfortunate?
 
rsleeds said:
Nobody is at that beach that doesn't know about the arriving and departing aircraft - that is why they are there. There are a dozen or more cruise excursions specifically for taking you there either by boat or van to experience it. There are bars that have the tower feed on speaker and announce all inbound and outbound activity so you can go outside. In this case, the unsuspecting beach goer is in the 0.01%. As has been said above, there are some people that are more aggressive than others by hanging onto the fence - those are the only ones in danger, and they made the choice (and are fully aware or should be).
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Probably went like this:

Have a beer - Cool!

Watch a landing - Cool!

Watch a takeoff - Cool! Hey, look at those guys hanging onto the fence and getting blasted! I'm doing that next time!

Next time - Coo...D'oh!
 
Ravioli said:
Are the small number of people who get gored in Pamplona "idiots" or just unfortunate?
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Naaa, those would be idiots too. Including the ones in the arena in the sequined finery waving the red cape.

Hey, I waved the red cape at death a few, ok more than a few, times while skydiving. Almost got bit a few times, 10 to be exact, and if I had gone in while doing something stupid, my friends woulda called me an idiot too. In a loving, sorta manner...
 
Ravioli said:
Are the small number of people who get gored in Pamplona "idiots" or just unfortunate?
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I have never ran the bulls at Pamplona, but I sure ran from the bulls on a friends cattle operation when the gate came from together at an unfortunate time. And he doesn't raise the small Spanish fighting bulls...

You have never seen two old men run so fast and jump a 6 foot fence and clearing it with several feet to spare....
 
weilke said:
It is similar to hiking to some attractions in the alps. The railing may be a single steel cable. Of couse, you could put up a big honking concrete wall to keep people from New Jersey from hurting themselves, but why ? Mountains are made from rocks and you climb up to look down on stuff. Falling off the edge is an assumed risk of going there.
In this case, the risk is not to the casual beach-goer. They may get some sand in their eyes, but unless they use implements like umbrellas to hurt themselves, the beach itself is pretty safe. Its the dimwits who hold on to the airport fence who get blown off and hit the concrete barrier. The place would be safer without the fence or the concrete barrier.
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True. It's even simpler and more comparable to the Grand Canyon. Other than a few picturesque locations, the park walking trails (the easy paved ones for normal mortals) have no railings or barriers. Easy to get kilt.
 
Pilawt said:
Not likely. The economy of the western part of the island would take a huge hit if Maho went away. Perhaps this can be a cautionary tale for the more-adventurous/less-self-aware tourists.
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Sure, it happens every decade or so.
There is a reason the sign says you may suffer injury or death.

Tim
 
once again...

warning%2Ba.jpg
 
Why not just close the beach?

It appears to be a tiny beach, not much wider than the runway. What reason could there be to keep it open, aside from accommodating the wishes of those who are prevented from such foolishness in their own country.
 
Nonsense. I've been on that fence maybe 50 times. You can stay upright without holding on, it just is easier because of the sand etc blowing to hold on to something (for example, the fence). I bet she did what some idiots do and that is, panic, then let go and start running towards the beach. Easy to get blown over that way. If you just stay put, you'll be fine.
747 actually is pretty mild because the engines is so far out, the Ameristar 727 is the most fun. Or a 757.
 
They could put up a blast fence 6 feet tall to deflect the blast some and block the view which would solve 90% of the problem.

But, it's a tourist attraction, why would they do that?
 
Ravioli said:
And cause the restaurant/bar to lose it's clientele? We're talking commerce and jobs here. We need that fence, We need that beach!
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It is also the only road to that part of the island. There is no room anywhere else to put a road.

Tim

Sent from my LG-H631 using Tapatalk
 
NoHeat said:
Why not just close the beach?

It appears to be a tiny beach, not much wider than the runway. What reason could there be to keep it open, aside from accommodating the wishes of those who are prevented from such foolishness in their own country.
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Why close it ? It's a tourist attraction.

It's like closing the mist trail at Niagara falls because there could be a slip and fall on the wet rocks.
 
SaltH2OHokie said:
Little harsh... Like most mistakes involving unfamiliar situations, you don't know until you know... And sometimes that's too late. I don't disagree that it's pretty clear that it's not a good idea to hang out waiting on jet blast, but it's still unfortunate.
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There are large signs in two languages on that fence telling you NOT to do that. It's not the first time people have been blown across the road trying to hold on to the fence in a jet blast and getting splatted on the road or the stone wall on the far side isn't going to be pleasant even if you survive.
 
Maybe add a ramp to that wall - anyone getting blown backwards would get launched. Wait, then someone would try to set a distance record...hmmm.
 
weilke said:
Maybe a law !



They have done exactly what needs to be done: Put up a sign so those unfamiliar with jets are warned. Beyond that, let nature run it's course.
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Good theory. We should stop sanitizing drinking water and discontinue healthcare. I mean, hey- let nature run its course. (It's 2017 and it's my American right to take everything to the extreme.)
 
Lachlan said:
Good theory. We should stop sanitizing drinking water and discontinue healthcare. I mean, hey- let nature run its course. (It's 2017 and it's my American right to take everything to the extreme.)
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Since this didn't happen in the U.S., I'm not sure that American rights are applicable.
 
Lachlan said:
Good theory. We should stop sanitizing drinking water and discontinue healthcare. I mean, hey- let nature run its course. (It's 2017 and it's my American right to take everything to the extreme.)
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Stupid examples. If you pour a pitcher of city water, you have an expectation of receiving a safe product. If you stand behind a jet engine despite a sign telling you not to, you expect to tumble down the beach into the ocean.
 
Aww man. Nobody posted the standard aviation accident answer yet.

"She died doing what she loved."

Life is hazardous. Get a helmet.
 
I think they need to close the beach and put up razor-wire fence. And people will cut themselves and bleed to death trying to claim the fence.
They the authorities will realize it's not the beach that's the problem. So they will close the airport. No more people getting hurt. YAY!
Closing airports should be the #1 solution to every problem. All the mama-van-driving complaint-letter-writing bored housewives know it!
 
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