Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Mechanic Sucked Into Jet Engine

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-16-2006, 06:24 PM:

Poor guy probably never even knew what happened.....
Link to the sucker.....

Fatal accident occurred as aircraft prepared to fly to Houston

Monday, January 16, 2006; Posted: 5:55 p.m. EST (22:55 GMT)
(CNN) -- A mechanic standing near a Boeing 737 at El Paso International Airport in Texas was sucked into one of the engines and killed Monday, officials said.

Continental Airlines Flight 1515 was preparing to take off for Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston when "a maintenance-related engine run-up of the right-hand engine" was carried out, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration's southwest region in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

"Someone on the ground was sucked into the engine," he said.

In a written statement, Continental Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner said the person killed was a mechanic who worked for one of the airline's suppliers.

"My fellow coworkers and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of the mechanic involved in this tragic event," Kellner said.

The 737-500 was carrying 114 passengers and five crew members at the time of the accident, he said.

"Continental is coordinating assistance for passengers who need help dealing with this tragedy," Kellner said. "Continental's Employee Assistance Program team is also flying to El Paso to meet with employees."

He said the incident occurred during a maintenance check in preparation for the plane's departure.

A spokeswoman for Boeing said Monday's incident is not the first such accident. "It doesn't happen very often," spokeswoman Liz Verdier said. "It has happened in the past."

Either way, she said, the responsibility lies with Continental: "The airlines are responsible for their safety procedures."

The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team of investigators from its office in Denver, Colorado, Herwig said.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 01-16-2006, 06:43 PM:

I seem to remember reading about this happening to a western owned airliner at a Russian airport. If I remember correctly, the cause was later found to be that the pilots were communicating in English: although the victim (a member of the ground handling crew) had a headset and could hear the radio exchange, he spoke only Russian and therefore didn't understand the air traffic controller giving the pilot permission to start the engines.

I can't see how else that could happen. I've just got home from a meeting in Berlin, and as we were leaving earlier this evening I was gazing out of the window (thanks to an hour's delay before boarding, I'd finished the papers and my laptop's battery was dead). From what I could see, all the ground staff were well and truly out of the way (as in, inside the terminal building) before the tractor pushed our plane in reverse away from the gate, and the tractor was driving away from the plane before I heard what sounded like any engine starting noise. I guess this is the normal procedure, and that for some reason it wasn't followed in this case, with tragic results.

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 01-16-2006, 07:51 PM:

I just flew into Bush Intercontinental in Houston this morning aboard a Continental Airlines jet from Cleveland. I had a window seat and it did cross my mind how these guys are on the ground giving signals and could easily be sucked up. [Frown]

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 01-16-2006, 07:56 PM:

This happens often...especially on aircraft carriers. There are many Inet sites with actual pics.

There was a guy that survived being sucked thru a jet engine...it was documented on one of the "real" TV programs.

Yawn... [sleep]