Ramper hit by prop

Damn. I guess I'm surprised something like that isn't just immediately and spectacularly lethal in all cases.
 
From the OP article:
"The victim, a 54-year-old resident of Orange, N.J., was struck by a CommutAir plane that was not on the runway at the time."

What does whether or not the plane was on the runway have to do with anything? Engines are running and are dangerous all over the airport. Sheesh.

When I worked on the ramp, my head was always on a swivel. You have to take full responsibility for your own safety out there. From my own personal observations of behavior on the ramp, these reports never surprise me. Still sad though.
 
neilw2 said:
Stories like this remind me of my CFI a few years ago. Still think about it every time I start up or stand near a prop.

https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/R...ID=20100827X64057&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=LA
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Almost the exact same thing happened to the other instructor at my 2 instructor flight school when I was learning to fly. He was sitting on the wing of an Arrow (IIRC) helping the renter get the plane started when a motor glider taxied by and was about to run his wingtip into another plane. CFI reacted on instinct, jumped off the wing and ran to wave down the taxiing motor glider. Unfortunately, he ran right into the prop arc of the now running Arrow. It was a very gruesome scene.
 
No indication if the engine was running either. You can get a pretty serious injury coming into contact with a stationary (or just windmilling prop) as well.
 
mscard88 said:
http://abc7ny.com/airline-employee-struck-by-plane-propeller-at-newark-airport/2368794/

Hope she recovers. Dangerous out there on ramps. We had one of our Brasilas years taxing in in a moderate rain shower and one of our tug drivers drove right into the prop and was killed. Poor man was in his 60s. Passenegrs on that side witnessed it.
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A past boss of mine pulled his Mooney into the wash rack. He shut down with the mixture but forgot to shut off mags. After washing it, he was pushing it back with the prop and moved the prop slightly. It fired once and gave him a concussion and cracked skull. He recovered fine, but those props can be a dangerous things.
 
I see pilots leaning on props at airports. One airport bum has arm over prop leaning on it talking to other airport bum. wtf. Don't flight instructors teach this stuff?
 
SkyDog58 said:
What does whether or not the plane was on the runway have to do with anything
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They're obsessed with runways. I love when you see a picture of a plane at the gate and the caption says "plane sat on runway for 3 hours"

Zeldman said:
I was taught to not touch the prop.
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An instructor I flew with only a few times had a rule, that anytime you were outside the plane the key had to be in your hand or pocket and any time getting *out* of the plane you would recite "master off, mags off, mixture off" - that stuck with me and has saved my butt a few times actually. I'll go to push the plane in and think "the key! it's not in my pocket" and grab it out of the plane
 
Mistake Not... said:
I see pilots leaning on props at airports. One airport bum has arm over prop leaning on it talking to other airport bum. wtf. Don't flight instructors teach this stuff?
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One the first things I do during the first couple of lessons while teaching how to preflight. Don't duck under either. All you can do is tell 'em.
 
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Tantalum said:
An instructor I flew with only a few times had a rule, that anytime you were outside the plane the key had to be in your hand or pocket and any time getting *out* of the plane you would recite "master off, mags off, mixture off" - that stuck with me and has saved my butt a few times actually. I'll go to push the plane in and think "the key! it's not in my pocket" and grab it out of the plane
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I was taught the same thing, except the keys go on the glare shield so everyone could see them, and so someone doesn't walk off with them. Most of the planes I fly now don't have keys, so least thing I do is to step inside to make sure the mags and mixtures are off before leaving the plane.
 
Mistake Not... said:
I see pilots leaning on props at airports. One airport bum has arm over prop leaning on it talking to other airport bum. wtf. Don't flight instructors teach this stuff?
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Not only do a lot of pilots not understand how magnetos, impulse couplings, and p-leads work but neither does their CFI.
 
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well, to be honest, I didn't the first time I saw the material. It wasn't until later when I started messing around with electronics that I fully understood what was going on.

But "Don't touch prop. If it moves, could start engine." doesn't exactly require a EE.
 
mscard88 said:
One the first things I do during the first couple of lessons while teaching how to preflight. Don't duck under either. All you can do is tell 'em.
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In my days as a ramp rat I was frequently called on to start an MU-2 with a power cart. I NEVER ducked under the wing; always walked around it. The thought of being splattered all over the ramp reinforced my decision.
 
Always treat the prop as if it were going to move on its own, because it can. Even if you NEED to touch it, do it in a way that won't injure you if it moves.

My mechanic had an interesting hot mag issue not involving the prop. She was working on the mag (or one of the ignition wires) and someone moved the prop and it fired into her hand even though the mag switch was supposed to be off. "I hate it when that happens," was what she said after a few profanities.
 
Well, now we're into a gray area, maybe.

Yes, technically I "touch" the prop when I check for nics, but I damn sure don't put a "torque" on the prop. Feather light. Not because I'm worried about the prop turning, but because I don't like cutting myself on nics. :)
 
Back during the ATR days of regionals a ramper was killed in Little Rock when he walked backwards into the running engine. The plane came in with an INOP generator so they kept the left engine running which was abnormal. The guy supposely hooked the tow bar up and stepped backwords like normal to open the door. He ended up on the windows of the terminal...
 
I flew the ATR and many times warned rampers about walking under the right engine when it was in "Hotel" mode. Hotel mode is the engine running but a prop brake keeps the prop from spinning, 99.9% of the time. I never had one come "unbraked" but it has happened, and if you're underneath it when it does it's probably over. Reason for hotel mode is the ATR doesn't have an APU, therefore hotel mode provides electrical and heat/air for the cabin at the gate.
 
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