How Does Someone Walk Into Propeller??
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- We take a look at the tragic death of Amanda Gallagher after she inadvertently backed into a moving propeller at the Kansas Jump Zone she was working at as a photographer. Engines are loud. How can someone make this fatal mistake? Dan looks into the causes like Habituation and how that can lead to lowering your guard.
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I am a pilot. One day at the airport a woman walked into a spinning prop. She immediately put her hands up to her face and blood came out all between her fingers. I grabbed a roll of paper towels and put the whole roll up against her face. Someone called 911 and an ambulance showed up, then a helicopter. She was medivaced out. I never saw her injuries, just alot of blood and her face covered. A few years later, I happen to see that plane again and the pilot get out. I very hesitantly approached the pilot to ask if he knew what happened to the woman that walked into the prop. He said that was his wife and she is fine now. I was very relieved.
wow.
😮😮😮😮😮😮😢😢😢😢😢 from Malaysia 🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾
Mirracle wow.
my husband is a critical care flight paramedic, on blackhawks for the us army. he said people’s situational awareness around small air crafts is lacking. he had to medevac someone in a similar situation. safety always first.
@@Dogworld007 I guess the reason why they underestimate the danger of smaller aircraft is they assume they have lower suction at their engines, which is sad mentality because that thinking has got so many people killed.
I very nearly walked into a propeller, but at the last second, my supervisor grabbed my belt from behind and pulled me back. My first airline job was with a small commuter in Florida, and two of us were working a Beech C99. To make up time, we routinely had a goal of a FIVE minute turn. We had to move very fast to achieve this, and it only worked if we only had passengers deplaning but did not have anyone boarding the outbound flight. The pilots kept the #2 engine running during the turn. Once the airplane was waved in and the nose gear chocked, I would open the cabin door, crawl under the wing and open the add-on pods where most checked luggage was kept, then open the nose baggage compartment. The #1 engine prop is between the underbelly pods and the nose compartment. Pilots would always shut down the #1 engine to help with the turn, but in this instance the engine was still running. When the prop is turning, it is difficult to see. At night, it is 100% invisible. I had only started the ramp job a few months before during the evenings, while I was attending high-school during the day. This made for a long day with minimal sleep on school nights. Add together being completely exhausted, being new and being a naïve kid in a big, clumsy rush, I didn’t notice that engine. Thank goodness my boss was right there and could yank me back under the wing, away from that prop. Never did that again, and even though I am retired now, I still remember that moment as vividly as I did on the night it happened.
Thank you for your story. It takes only a second.
A similar thing happen to me. 😮
The man I flew with a few times wouldn't let anyone exit the plane until the prop came to a stop. Why isn't this a practice used by all pilots?
Because of what I talked about (and not saying it's right, just whats going through their heads)-- that its just easier if the person deplanes without stopping-- its a lot of work to get the plane started again.
@@gregfaris6959 that is very correctable, you just need to change the way responsibility works in these cases...under the current system, the pilot is free, possibly even flying. now, if he faced being charged with manslaughter and facing 2-3 years in prison with all the ramifications of that, I think the balance of safety over profit in his thought process would change a lot... (not that he is not facing consequences, this is life changing trauma for him, but the level of prior deterrence of a potential prison term and ruined life would have much greater than the vague understanding you will have to live with anything that happens for the rest of your life (which is the real punishment))
@TakingOff
If restarting an engine is so difficult, what are you supposed to do about an engine stall in flight? I tend to think it will be done relatively quickly, especially if it happens at 2000 ft. No disrespect, but I don't buy the excuse.
Or, at the very least, have a deboard briefing that all passengers must exit and move only toward the rear of the plane. Or in case of a helicopter, move forward only.
@@brianschumaker5912 Hi Brian-- let's take my engine in a Cessna 210, it's a TSIO-520-R. If I shut it down and then a few moments later try to start, it is notoriously difficult to restart (not impossible, just tricky). It's easy to drain your battery which is using it's energy to turn the crankshaft. In flight, the windmilling effect keeps the crankshaft spinning enable a restart to be much easier. AND, an engine "stall" in flight (Im assuming you mean an engine cuts off, only airfoils "stall") means that you've lost the magnetos or you turned the magentos off OR fuel exhaustion or starvation. Just turn your mags back on and the windmilling effect keeps "cranking" the engine and you can restart. Clear the fuel starvation if thats the problem (switch tanks). Fuel exhaustion, you're a glider anyway. Engine failure, sure, but you're not restarting the engine in flight if you've thrown a rod.
@@brianschumaker5912 Airplane engines rarely stall in flight. The most likely caused for an engine stall is fuel exhaustion. If the pilot can switch to another fuel tank - that still has fuel - then he may be able to use the electric starter to restart the engine. Other than than, most inflight engine failures cannot be restarted in the air.
My dad was a crop duster in the Lubbock, Texas area for nearly 40 yrs. and so I did all his loading from ages 12 to 18. The only safety regulation was don't walk into the prop and fortunately I never did; but the prop, the engine, the heat from that turbon exhaust all becomes part of your normal environment. Especially when 50% of your job is working in that area but the prop isn't even turning. I never really looked at the risk factor as being complacent, but that's it exactly. Great video, this message will save a life.
Is your name Dusty. I went to school at Smyer with a guy whose dad was a crop duster there near Lubbock.
Is your name dusty?
Years ago I was an intern photographer with a newspaper and I was covering a fire. I was doing what I always do looking through the lens and thinking about the pictures, and I didn't realize how close I had gotten to the fire until until the heat finally got my attention. I was surprised when I realized how dangerously close I'd gotten to a fully consumed building. There is something about looking through a lens and making pictures that you feel disconnected from reality.
“Superior judgment trumps superior skills”. I’m a big rig trucker, and truer words about safety have never been spoken! I can’t tell the number of times I avoided hitting something with my truck, or even worse, by relying on safety-focused judgment, and NOT my BELIEF in my skill at operating the truck!
having judgement and discernment is a kind of skill. unfortunately it's probably genetic and most people will never be able to develop it
I worked for an operator that paints one strip on the tip of one blade, two strips on the second tip of the blade and three strips on the tip of the third blade, making pulse or strobe effect of a rotating propeller at low power settings. I wish everyone would do this, propellers are invisible while they are spinning otherwise.
That's great but it wouldn't have worked in this case since she backed into it.
My instructor did it. Was in the run up area with 2 other aircraft. A fellow instructor was having trouble getting the canopy shut on our flight schools Piper sport so he got out of the aircraft he was in with his student. Instead of stepping off the back of the wing (it was a Piper warrior he was in) he jumped off the front, and right into the prop. And that was the end of him. He was an extremely proficient & safety minded instructor. We surmised he must have simply forgotten about the spinning propeller in the “white noise” of all the engines running around him. This was August of 2010. RIP Mike 🙏🏻
WOW!! If he could do it, anybody could do it!
This is why one must never rush any action.
I also always assume the prop is always running even if it's tied down, masters off, prop lock in place, etc. I make this assumption until I consciencely verify that the props are not spinning. I have learned to respect the prop at all cost.
Also, never jump off the front of a wing no matter what.
i think you'll find the overwhelming majority of these people to be women. lack of situational awareness and the ability to multitask is a problem. ironically enough they were shown to be better at multitasking than men, but this is from a flawed study that tried to show inability to focus as strongly as men as some kind of asset. doing dishes and talking on the phone is a bit different from navigating gps, operating complex machinery and instruments while using a radio
@@cagneybillingsley2165 Careful dude, your misogyny is showing. Better cover that up before someone sees it again. ;)
@@cagneybillingsley2165 Have you ever heard of the word misogynist?
I vividly recall the accident in 2011. Story goes, she went up to look at the areas Christmas lights (in early December). It was a tailwheel aircraft but I have forgotten what exactly the make/model of the A/C was. Exited the aircraft just fine, then was going back to thank the pilot for the ride and never saw or thought about the prop that was at idle RPM. It was dark and while the ramp had lights, they were not bright enough to clearly see the aircraft in detail and certainly not the prop. When local EMS arrived, it was quickly determined she needed to be airlifted to a Level 1 trauma center. The first and most well known air ambulance operator in the area were unable to make the flight due to deteriorating weather. The EMS crew via radio to dispatcher and they called another air ambulance operator, and they were dispatched and airborne in 5 minutes with around 10-12 ETA. Local EMS had her prepped for transport to a level 1 trauma center without incident. I was friends of the responding Fire/Rescue that initially was dispatched to the location. There are probably *very few people* that have survived walking into a spinning prop.
Bellanca Citabria, and updated version of the 1946 Aeronca Champion. Citabrias are often used for aerobatic instruction.
@@avflyguy Airplane stats are 1/3 fatal, 2/3 serious with occasional minor injuries. Fatalities are more common with helicopter tail rotors as they’re mounted higher off the ground compared to most props and therefore more likely to cause a fatal head injury. I took a course during my initial maintenance training a long time ago and the stat just stayed in my brain. I never let passengers out or in with the engine running. I just shut down and restart as required. I ask my passengers to watch for people approaching the plane while I’m heads down with the preflight checklist. I’m always ready to turn off the mags if someone approaches.
these are the types of people that are easily hypnotized because they are absent minded. they are therefore impressionable like children and easily persuaded by mass media that a certain person is austrian painter or some other equally unnuanced absurd notion.
@@cagneybillingsley2165 So you no longer think that this applies to women only?
@@MrRobertX70 Right? This person's unfounded vitriol apparently has no limits. 🙄
I recently heard about a guy who was an early video photographer of parachute jumps. This was in the 1970's when consumer-grade video equipment was brand new and the equipment was large enough that the video tape recorder was separate from the camera, and large enough that this photographer put it in a backpack so he could wear it and record during a jump. During the flight he put on the recorder backpack so he could move around the plane recording the other jumpers, and then when it was his turn to jump, he jumped out, and then realized he hadn't put on his parachute yet. Since he already had the recorder backpack on, that must have mislead him into thinking he had his parachute on. He didn't survive.
Was his name Wiley Coyote? Wow
This incident occurred in 1988 in North Carolina. Ivan McGuire was a very experienced jumper, with more than 800 jumps under his belt. This was his third jump of the day, though, and apparently the camera equipment backpack felt enough like a parachute that he just automatically jumped without mentally reviewing the situation first.
As someone who works on the line at a busy FBO, when you're out there all day every day (or are around planes constantly) a lot of the busy airport sounds start to subconsciously blend together. Your brain starts to ignore it. The best way I avoid a catastrophe like this is that I always walk forward, never backward. If I'm around a running propeller aircraft, I always walk towards the wingtips and walk a wide orbit if I ever have to traverse the front of it, but all without taking my eyes off of the wheels and props to make sure the brakes are still working.
This is truly sad this happened.
I remember the director Boris Segal died when he got off a helicopter and walked into the rear rotor. He used to direct early episodes of combat and Vic Morrow who was famously killed on the set of the twilight zone movie in a helicopter accident years later. Boris Segal also directed an episode of the twilight zone. In that episode a guy puts his hand through a spinning propeller to try to prove the airplane wasn't real.
It’s more spooky than that as Morrow was not in the helicopter. He was killed by the main rotor blades after the helicopter lost lift during set pyrotechnics gone wrong.
He was Katy Sagal's dad.
@ ... and Vic Morrow was Jennifer Jason Leigh's dad.
You never walk aft of a helicopter. For this very reason.
People who are involved in Aviation have to remember: If you don't walk into propeller arcs, you won't walk into a propeller. Never a reason to be near a prop arc if it is running. Practice staying away from the prop arc when they are off aside from pre-flight and you will never walk into a prop. Years ago asked a Chief standing in a Hangar at NAS Oceana if I could step in with my Mom who even being an Air Force Vet loved Corsairs and had never seen one up close. The Chief said "Oh sure, bring her in just stay out of the prop arc". Not only was he so friendly to us, he was also keeping us safe. The F4U in question was sitting in the Hangar of an F-14 Squadron but same rules, "Stay out of the arc!" People in Aviation have to teach and protect those not yet up to speed.
Complacency around dangerous things.....is a thing. You can't see the prop when it's moving, especially when backing up.
My brother in law was cutting down a tree and it killed him, only four years back. Complacency, that's what did it. Yes, it was his job.
My first week at working for an airlines was almost my last.
I had just ramped in a twin engine turboprop aircraft, 50 passenger. I chocked the nose wheels then started to walk away from it but wasn't paying any attention. I was about 4 feet from the spinning propeller.
At the last moment I made a right angle turn, away from the engine. That was close.
I sat down on the concourse window ledge and contemplated my life for the next 30 mins or so.
My Guardian angel was definitely with me that day. 👼😰
Some people are so carried away by selfies that they often don’t notice how they find themselves under a jet engine turbine. Saw this many times on the ramp
😮😮😮😮😮
Majority of humans are SOUND ASLEEP at the controls of their body. It’s insane. No one is present in the moment with full situational awareness.
^^^ This. The rest of the video is babble.
yeah stuff like this never happened before cameras were invented
They had a momentary lapse in their situational awareness. Could happen to anyone. RIP.
I agree, and this is what scares me.
It’s disappointing how many of the commenters here think it can’t happen to them, like this victim was intrinsically defective somehow.
@@lebojayMaybe not intrinsically defective but at least monumentally ignorant. Like taking selfies with a cobra.
Standing on a tarmac near a running plane is never just routine
but it mostly happens to women
Man that is awful.😢 Praying for her family, friends, coworkers, witnesses. Sounds like she had a momentary loss of situational awareness in order to get the best possible shot. Says a lot about about her - an excellent work ethic. So sad that ended up costing her, her life.😢
Just another example of how true the saying is: “Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity, or neglect.”
I appreciate your video, Dan. Not an easy one to do. Very informative.
I forgot to add that this almost happened to my dad on his very first day on base up in Brunswick Maine when he joined the Navy back in 1959. It was night time and extremely noisy, with aircraft moving everywhere. He was walking and suddenly someone grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back violently. Whoever that man was saved his life!😮
Thanks SMitty. I wasn't going to do this video. But decided to go ahead finally.
@ I totally understand. Glad you did, since this will undoubtedly save someone & their families the grief and pain of this happening again.
Throughout my private, instrument commercial and multi training in prop aircraft, we were always hyper cognizant of this danger, reiterated it verbally every time anyone was anticipated to be anywhere near an operating aircraft and never for one second lost focus on ths danger, yet we all knew it could happen at any second, with nothing we could do about it. Once you've gone through things as unnatural as engine-out, spin training, unusual attitudes in IMC you learn than humans can get used to ANYTHING, and conditions that would scream danger to an uninitiated person become routine to the more experienced; This is where complacency creeps in. I doubt there is a professional pilot anywhere who has not had cold shudders at the thought of a prop accident, but this case is the perfect example of how something like this can innocently take a step backward into the rest of your life....
I regularly travel as a passenger in helicopters (for work) and before boarding we pre-agree the waling route to the door, we stop outside the rotor arc and do not move until eye contact is confirmed with the pilot. No walking outside the agreed zone is allowed to make sure no one walks into the tail rotor. Same goes for exiting. Its may sound like a lot of bother but it becomes 2nd nature to stop, check and not proceed until sure so its adds hardly any time but its much safer. I'm sometimes doing this on a moving deck so its also really important to confirm that the rotor stabilization is off, not doing so has killed people when the ship rolls. If this was an industrial machin in a factory you would stay well away.
This accident is very similar to something that I remember from 2007.
I had taken a hiatus from aviation for several years and took my time to get current. I flew something like 5 hours before I decided that I was ready for a BFR and renting airplanes. My instructor during this time was a 24 year old rising star named Mike. I remember him as being a bit of a workaholic. He was always busy. He instructed in scuba diving at a local beach. He taught ballroom dancing at night. One day I was early for a lesson and found him in the parking lot rotating his tires. He was always busy. He was a very good pilot and I considered him one of the best I had flown with. He seemed pretty safety conscious to me, but a few months after I flew with him, he was killed by a prop strike.
The accident happened while he was in the run up area with a student. They were preparing to takeoff in a Piper Warrior (or perhaps a Cherokee 140). He noticed that another one of the flight school's planes was running up at the same time. It was a new Piper Sport Cruiser with a sliding canopy. The pilot was having a hard time closing the canopy and Mike decided to help the pilot close the canopy. He opened the Cherokee's door and instead of exiting behind the wing, he jumped in front of the wing and got killed almost instantly by the spinning propeller. I think he was preoccupied with helping the other pilot and just didn't think to take a precaution that he probably taught to many former students. Maybe habituation had something to do with it or he just had his "eyes on the prize" and didn't think things out.
We lost a smart and talented pilot that day in a split second. A memorial fund still exists for him years later. Try not to be the guy with a memorial fund!
Wow, thanks for sharing. What an incredibly sad story of Mike.
@@TakingOff Plain and simple, complacency. People get complacent working in dangerous environments when they get habituated to that danger.
@@TakingOff I'll say this also. I was raised in an environment where dangerous machinery was around, and it was drummed into me and my brother to NEVER be inattentive around such equipment. That early training has stuck with is, and it boggles our minds to see how careless others can be in similar environments.
@@TakingOff Now that I've watched the video, you said almost exactly what I did. This really isn't complicated.
When I was young in high school, I worked in a sawmill. In my opinion, one of most dangerous environments one can find. This early training for safety kept My head on a swivel through my years of flying aircraft. Ground operations with aircraft are a dangerous environment. Nighttime operations are especially dangerous. Please be extra careful out there……
As a private pilot, inconvenient as it may be sometimes no one ever loads/unloads from my aircraft with prop spinning- period. Occasionally during maintenance mechanic needs to approach but it is pre-briefed and if prop spinning they are required to keep behind the strut (preferably) or one hand firmly in contact with the strut if ahead of lift strut and I have one hand always on the mag switch in case they get stupid and let go the strut.
And don’t get me started about people that bring dogs onto the ramp.
I was at high School in the uk in the mid 70s we had a school gardener who lost both hands whilst starting a prop plane in ww2. Talk about, make the most of what you have! He worked hard and had things made to make his life easier, he even smoked a pipe! We were blown away with his dedication, can you imagine these days, the person would be on invalidity until his multi million compensation arrived! He retired around 1982, his name was Mr. Heaps (or Heeps?) total hero and role model!
Those were the days when people would hire folks who had disabilities. Now they do everything to keep from hiring them into anything but Walmart greeter, or if they already had the money to go to school, then sometimes lawyer.
There are some things you just don't do: You don't cross the street looking into your phone.
I see it more and more.
Been there done that, thank God I wasn't killed. 😂😢😢😢
almost exclusively a female problem. men keep their head up when danger is close. women never evolved to develop that type of awareness
I have encountered in two different occasions when a young adult walked out in front of my car while staring at their phone! Each time the person never looked up! Just continued walking and looking at the phone while crossing the street. It shook me up badly. The one girl I came within inches of hitting her and she wasn't even aware. I was an emotional wreck for a week, having almost caused unexpected harm to someone.
My cousin was a paver for a large company for many years. He walked a couple of steps backwards into a loaded 20 ton dump truck and was instantly gone in a horrific accident. Only 41 years old with a wife and two kids. To this day I try to figure out how this happened. Whenever we sat at my kitchen table having a couple of beers, if the conversation turned to work, he always talked about safety. Maybe this video might explain how it could happen to anyone. He’s missed dearly. Please be careful at all times. Don’t become an empty chair at the dinner table.
I watch a good friend walk right into a moving propeller. He had just landed and parked a Cessna 150 with the aircraft owner. I was parked right in front of them. I got out of the car, my buddy got out on the right seat of the Cessna and ducked under the wing strut and right into the propeller. Lucky for him he was a big guy. The prop grabbed his sweatshirt and spun him around into the spinner, at which point he grabbed , in a bear hug manner, the prop and stopped it. I don’t know how it didn’t rip his arms off. If it had been any other plane i think he would have died. After he stopped the prop he turn toward me and said “I think I need to go to the hospital”. I responded with “no shit, lay down”. I assessed him and saw a huge cut to the bone in his left leg. Surprise to me he wasn’t bleeding, I think because of immediate shock setting in. He had his hands on his stomach, and they were covering where the spinner had hit him and he had a small wound there. He lived because the mayor artery in the leg was just missed by the prop. Had he had any mayor bleeding he would have been in bad shape because we were in a remote location in upstate NY where all emergency services are volunteers and took a while to get to us. I will never forget watching it happen, it seemed like it was in slow motion.
Such a sad and tragic loss. Thank you for the breakdown of this horrific tragedy. Keep up the excellent work. Safe skies, my friend.🇺🇸🛩️
Geeze how horrible. Prayers for all.
My grandpa was on a aircraft carrier right after WW2, he said on the flight deck they were told to never look directly at the spinning props as they might walk into them. Always wondered if there was any truth to that.
Thank you, Dan, for being show informant and showing us the danger that lies ahead of us. Thank you again
If I know that the engine is hot, and not running, I still avoid the propeller arc as though it were a loaded firearm. It could move without warning in this situation. Just treat it with a lot of respect and never forget the danger. Never become complacent around airplanes. Or anything or anyone who has the power to kill you.
I was a volunteer wildfire firefighter for about 10 years. Often, we'd get transported by heli to fight a fire on the side of a mountain. No matter how many times you tell the rookies to never walk anywhere near the tail, they will do it. Like you say, you have to have someone spotting and stopping anyone from going anywhere near the spinny bits. We would have a designated crew member get out first and make sure nobody walked towards the back of the aircraft.
I had a similar situation when I was taxing a cessna 210 and following the lines into a bay next to a hangar. There a heap of people and small children lined up next to the doors of the hangar. I was taxing very slow and looking out for people movements . Just as I was coming to a halt there was a vroomed sound with the engine misfiring . The windscreen was covered in red and bits of something. Mixture off ,engine power knob to back and mags off and park brake to set. I sat there for eternity and glanced out the side window and the hangar doors were covered in red and entails and the people also covered in blood and bits were running around . I couldnt breath ,my mouth was dry. My legs wouldn’t work and people were rushing over to my aircraft . I opened the door and slide out of the aircraft . I am sorry,I am sorry is all in could say . Then the hangar owner which I knew came over and said to me “That bloody dog ,I knew it was going to happen one day “. I burst into tears .
It doesn’t matter how carefull you are and follow the rules there can be an outside influence can cause you to have an accident .
Oh my goodness.... I can't imagine the absolute stomach churning feeling you would have had.
that happened in 1981 and even today when I taxi around aircraft my legs some times began to shake . I finally relax as I take off.
Your vivid description brought tears to my eyes. As a kid in the 1980's we lived on a remote ranch and relied on aircraft for our mail and some supplies during the winter. Same thing as here, too familiar and focused on getting the mail etc. another rancher walked into the prop. Awful, still tears me up. We loaded him back on the plane and he flew off for medical aid but it was of no hope. The plane was only on the ground for 3 or minutes. Not the pilots fault. small runway and the guy just walked into the prop. I imagine the pilot, who we all knew, must of been beyond shocked. Your description...wow.
a dog was killed? is that what you mean?
@@RuthRodriguez-zb2in Yes the dog was destroyed ,it seems it had a habit of running towards aircraft and barking . It was a so called security dog for that hangar.
Outstanding job, Sir! Beautifully done!❤💪🙏
we all have experiences of doing something without thinking only to have a problem and think "that was stupid" in retrospect. That's why these safety procedures are so important. I can also imagine that under stresses (including the fundamental stresses of working in a high impact creative job where if you don't get the shot, you won't ever) could make this problem a lot worse.
You have some really good points about setup, planning, etc for where the photographer should be. To my mind that's exactly parallel the idea of a takeoff or approach briefing in commercial aviation.
Condolences from Minnesota
I worked with the NCFS when I first graduated from school. I met a fine man that flew the.spotter plane flying over fires that a dozer operator or several of them. He told me he was a pilot out west, I assumed he meant Calif. He flew tankers that made retardant drops over forest fires. One day while on the tarmac, warming the engines he said a friend came out to bring him an apple. He told me once they get turning at high idle speed the props cannot be seen. His friend came out to plane while he yelled and waved to no avail. He watched his friend walk into the prop , himself helpless to do more than yell. I've never forgotten him telling me about that. I won't mention his name but he was a first class pilot and person.
Reminds me of Australian golfer Jack Newton (1950-2022), who in 1983 survived but lost an arm and an eye after exiting a Cessna and walking into the spinning propeller at Sydney airport.
Spotters are always a good idea around airplane photographers. I've been in similar situations where I just get lost in the camera eye, and stepped out into moving traffic while on recent trips to europe. It's easy to do, yet so hard to understand if you've not been in those situations before.
Another very good video from this channel. I'm glad I finally found it and subscribed straight away. I've subscribed to several similar channels for years and see the content very often. So I'm confident I can make the comparison. Everything is very well explained by someone who you can see how important the topic is to him. The work with the images is also excellent.
But above all, this work is so valuable because it can hopefully help to prevent accidents and tragic incidents that we all don't need but that unfortunately happen far too often. Thank you for these great videos and I hope the channel grows quickly.
Of course, I would like to join in with the words used here to remember the victim of the accident, the relatives and friends as well as the witnesses. And it's great that the possibility of supporting the relatives is also mentioned.
I worked about 14 years as a Parachute Rigger and I can say there is a dangerous level of speed in many skydiving businesses when it comes to getting people up in the sky. I understand time is money but sacrificing safety for money always annoyed me and was a major factor to why I no longer work in this area. It should be mandatory for the engines to be shut down while people are boarding, especially people who are conducting their first ever descents. Slow down and save lives people.
Thing's happen sometimes. Complacency plays a roll to a certain extent, the more comfortable you feel in a dangerous environment, the higher the chances of an incident occurring. Combat hero's know all about this.
I had no idea where you were going with this at the start, then I started shaking. I just can't imagine. God Speed Amanda. Peace --gary
Thank you Dan for including normalization of deviance. I have used this principle in instructing company pilots on importance of SOPs. Gradual drift from the standard is an incipient step in departing from safety protocols.
OMG, that is so sad. Condolences to the family of such a beautiful young lady.
When I was in flight school, any activity around an airplane, from doing checks, boarding, fuelling anything, the key was either on the seat or on top of the dashboard where it was visible, even having the key in the ignition in the OFF position was a write up. This rule is the best policy
My first reaction to the title was “one step at a time.” Now that I’ve watched the whole video… I think it’s still that. “Situational awareness” is the overriding concept that must be ingrained in everyone operating and being around aircraft. As one who has piloted CE182 and 206 jump planes (as recently as 1995), there is a lot of activity during hot loading. The victim, I imagine, in the throe of “viewfinder capture” was attempting to frame the boarding skydivers and simply backed into the propeller arc… one step at a time.
'How can someone so familiar with aircraft walk into a propeller ?'... The answer is in the question. My guess is that almost everyone suffering this fate was familiar with being around aircraft. we drop our guard. People unfamiliar with aircraft remain wary of just about everything involved and stay clear. Typically they'll be guided constantly by the pilot as to how to approach and enter or exit.
👍✅ Another sad report Dan, everyone should learn from these.
The cause of all accidents is attributed to one word. That word is Inattention on the part of one or many. This a terribly sad event and I hope this video reaffirms the fact that complacency kills, and that others pay attention to hazards and avoid dangerous situations. Very sad, but a great video.
I have to disagree that all accidents are caused by inattention. Any seasoned investigator will tell you that a series of events lead up to an accident. Inattention may be a factor, but in this case there are several events which could have saved the young lady's life. #1. If the pilot had shut down the engine before anyone left the aircraft. #2. If someone had saw the young lady backing and yelled stop.. 3. If the lead person in charge of the skydivers had briefed everyone to step toward THE REAR of the aircraft or straight ahead out of the door this accident may not have happened. So, in my opinion, inattention was only a contributory cause.
Situational awareness.
Well done.
It's known as viewfinder fixation. The camera viewfinder can focus attention way above normal, leaving very little for anything outside
Such a sad situation for all involved. Nobody expects a death to happen so suddenly or needlessly.
When I first of this my thought was..oh no! The photographer is never the victim on any video!😢
This is very true, years ago as a consrtuction worker on the ground in a very active heavy equipment site for many hours I encountered this noise desensitation and if you are not paying close attention to the vehicles around you there is a very high chance of injury. If you don't realize your not hearing the reverse warning alarms comming from each of these very noisy vehicles, it becomes a very dangerous sitiuation.
Thank you for this very respectful analysis and your efford to open our eyes for the dangers we a re "used" to and which become so much more dangerous because of this dangerous "routine".
I used to jump out of Skydive Perris in SoCal. They used twin otters and they used the same loading methods as you mentioned in Spaceland. Unfortunately complacency is a killer.
R.I.P to her
This is why I always walk atleast ten feet in front of a spinning prop and out to the wing tips. I feel for her friends, family and the people that saw it happen. I couldn’t imagine what they’re going through
I think most of us has had a momentary lapse of mental awareness and realized this without incurring harm. It can happen to anyone so in a terrible tragedy like this the most I can say is there but for the grace of God go I.
I am SOOO thankful for all CFI’s, fellow aviators, friends, and flying club here in MGM for instilling safety protocols. We have never even had a close call in our group. SAFETY FIRST! Prayers for the family and friends of this young lady. Just, wow.
Happy to subscribe sad that she lost her life. Love peace and joy to her family and friends.
Gut wrenching worrible loss for the family. That she never felt a thing is your only condolence, I'm so sorry.
That is a shame and she seems like she was a beautiful person 😢
When she exited the aircraft she was behind the strut, so she either had to walk around it or duck under. A sad thing either way.
I feel for the witnesses. I saw a man die that way when I was 12 or 13, way back in 1958 or 59, and I will never quite get it out of my head. I was hanging around the flightline as usual, something I was always doing back then, watching maintenance airmen working on a C-124. They had one prop off, sitting a a stand, and another engine had the entire cowling removed. But that one was running and not at an idle. A man came from the front on a bicycle and rode straight into the prop.
I'm guessing there was no prop wash because he was in front and probably thought the prop
was off and the one on the stand. It's been over 60 years and it's still a vivid memory.
This happened in 2022 to a female going for a ride in a diamond 40. She was never in one before and was in front. The pilot did not shut the plane off. She step on the wing and got off toward the front step down. Walked right into the prop and was killed. She was switching seats with a passenger in the back. The pilot did not want to stop the engine. Never told her about the danger of the prop and asked them to hurry as it was raining.
Poor girl. 😢❤ Rest in Peace x
I spotless video production too for 7 years mostly at a larger church and big conferences in stadiums. Plus my own still photography.
I heard about this story and it shook me just knowing I could do this easily too trying to get the shoot and not paying attention to where I am. Same with falling off a cliff or tripping.
I remember working reaction shots often and would get to the very edge of the podium I was on and still reaching to get the shot or on the floor getting reactions and get too close to the guest speaker.
That’s really sad 😢.
I remember my first instructor saying to me to take a wide berth on all engines, and look inside the plane to make sure nobody is inside that might start up the plane too. I’ve used this method to this day, never getting close to any engine, running or not.
Pilot friend who was temporarily based there and who was a doc in the ER when she was brought in. (Different doc treated her). He commented:
"That airport is gate controlled. It’s a community of airport homes and a few small businesses, including the sky diving school. Part of the problem is that Augusta Municipal (was) closed for runway development causing a flight school, me, and several others to temporarily relocate to Cook. There can be a lot of activity with the personal aircraft, the school planes and the sky divers all packed into a small area. I’ve seen crowds around the Drop Zone while planes are taxiing to the fuel pumps and parking."
MY thought (not NTSB or FAA) - Contributing factor - temporary closure of another adjacent airport causing higher than normal activity at Cook and breakdown of safety protocols.
It appears that a number of people have experienced similar incidents. My experience occurred in Vietnam. A forward observer on board a helicopter walked into the tail rotor. He was an experienced crew member as an FO, and yet he walked into the tail blade. It was believed/rumored that he had his mind on other things at the time. In any event, he died because of his mistake.
I landed once near where my parents live, they came out to see me land and pick me up for lunch. It was the first time they every saw me land a plane. I taxied over to the ramp and my dad was so excited to see me he came running up to the plane from the front while the engine was still running. I immediately pulled the mixture out to shut down the engine and was waving my hands at him to stop. He must have come within an inch of running into the prop, it scared the daylights out of me.
When I went sky dive lesson in the 70's The school had two guards for and aft of the door for for entering sky divers. There was no way we would walk in to the prop let alone get ahead of the strut. Most of the time the pilot actually shut the engine down. Extra guards or shut down is cheap insurance.
The insidiousness of complacency is that you never realize that it has set in. Great debrief of a sad accident.
As with many if not most aviation accidents, there were several factors/errors in judgment that came together to make this happen. Nor shutting off the engine, photographer in front of the wing, pilot not aware of someone in a dangerous area, etc.
When I was in the USAF in the C-130 world, we had 4 cold rolled steel blades on four engines travelling at 400 MPH on the ground. To say these props were unforgiving would be an understatement. We practiced going around the props as to develop the muscle memory to walk around them and to never develop the muscle memory of cutting between them. I say all of this to say that having been around the part 135 and GA world for a hot minute, safety seems to be an afterthought at times. I would be surprised if the school had solid safety procedures in place to prevent this from happening.
If you fly an aircraft with props, you have to be aware of who is around you when they are spinning and you have to be ready to cage that engine if someone is about to walk into your spinning disk of death. Don't be complacent and think about all of the bad stuff which could happen and then think of ways to prevent the stacking of swiss cheese slices!
I was going flying with my boss years ago. He had left his phone in the office and I was going to get out and go get it,
as I was getting out he grabbed my arm and said " Don't walk into the prop". I planned on going around the back of
the plane but I thanked him later for saying it.
Good quality video.
OMG yes, remember the witnesses, especially if they knew her. We see things break when we drop them, we cut our food before we cook it, but we never, ever expect to see that happen to a person, a friend. Even those who didn't know her must have been seriously traumatized. My heart goes out to all of them. ♥ I think Amanda's pain ended before she felt it, but those who watched it happen will never un-see it.
I heard of a similar lack of awareness; a sight-seeing passenger on a helicopter had her hat blow off and while chasing it on the ground ran into the spinning tail rotor killing her instantly. There should be instruction from every pilot to passengers do not get anywhere near the spinning prop. Better yet there shouldn't be the possibility in the first place.
This is part of the reason why workers in a number of industries have checklists that are run through around _every_ time. Pilots have a checklist; doctors have. The military makes extensive use in a many environments. Another way to think of it is _good_ habituation. Safety can be made into a good habit. But always with awareness. Vocalizing things is a way of reinforcing awareness.
My deepest condolences to her family and friends🙏🏼
I agree, it should be mandatory that the aircraft engine and prop be stopped anytime anyone is boarding or de boarding!
If this can happen to a seasoned aircraft passenger then it can happen to anyone.
A long time ago I worked at an aero engine factory that was located at an airfield. There had been a fatal accident at the hangars. I gather there is some sort of test that run on the engine ofa piston engine plane with the throttle wide open but with the magnetos off. Unfortunately they forgot to switch off the magnetos and the engine fired and immediately ran up to full speed killing the mechanic standing close to the propellor.
Man what a crazy thing to happen
Absolutely horrible.!
Great video though.
I’m not familiar with this skydive operation, but will say that most of them are very safety aware and anal about jumpers remaining behind the wing when boarding with engines running. It’s pretty common for the jump master or acting JM to supervise the boarding process. Lacking that, experienced jumpers and instructors will remind everyone as to a safe path to the aircraft door. Tandem masters often walk jumpers to the aircraft with a hand on their shoulder or rig.
As a fixed wing and helicopter pilot I believe a lot of the fault falls on the pilot. They should instruct their passengers on the hazards. Too many pilots become complacent. What is obvious to us is not always obvious to your passengers. Same thing also applies to outboard and inboard boats.
At night the aircraft's strobe lights ("anti-collision") will literally freeze the image of a rotating propeller in place at every flash. It's amazing how that one sense - vision, can betray one in that condition.
My mom was a pilot so I was around smaller planes often. She always stressed safety rules. Also, when I was in Civil Air Patrol they wouldn’t let us leave wear hats when out on the flight line. Stated it’s too much of a reflex to reach for a hat that’s blown off. Moving props can be hard to see
I have worked in construction all of my life. All it's takes is a moment for someone to lose awareness and it's over!
I have seen some good friends die because of a lapse of judgement on the job.
I would never let anyone enter or exit the aircraft while the engines are running. It's just not worth the risk.
Your presentation is excellent. Can you make a video on the danger of helicopter blades?
As a pilot and someone who worked the line for years complacency and letting your guard down can get you killed very easily on a ramp. I had a Piper Arrow that turned over after I went to pull it forward, the plane was empty but the pilot left the mags hot. Training kept us safe like when we had to fuel the S-76 life flight helicopters while they were still running when they were in a hurry to get back out. You get so used to the noise and bustling going on it can catch you in a tight spot.
Your smoke alarm chirping...
Brilliant example.
I have personally witnessed a lady walk into a propeller of a sky diving plane here in Australia. It was back in 1980.
The lady had just been married to a skydiver. She went up with her husband but she did not jump with him. The plane landed. I was in the next group to go up in the plane. The plane had pulled up in position and the lady exited the plane and ducked under the wing and towards front of plane, walking straight into spinning propeller. The pilot did not see her as he was looking down at instruments.
The poor lady was cut to pieces. RIP
I live and fly an hour north of this accident site. News of this hit within minutes of it happening. We couldn't believe she would actually back into a prop. Still can't understand it.
Very tragic
I seem to remember a somewhat famous golfer who was about to board an aircraft and walked past a spinning propeller, and lost his arm. I think it was in the 70s or 80s?
EDIT: I just checked. It was Jack Newton in July of 1983. He was rushing to get into the plane, at night, during a rainstorm, after the pilot had started the engine. He lost his right arm, his right eye, and suffered severe abdominal injuries. He lived.
Wow. Horrible.
I remember a news item some years ago where a woman was killed by walking into a Cessna Skymaster's rear propeller, I think she was a passenger and after getting out forgot it had a rear prop.
In the mid 1970's I was working at the Mammoth Lakes, CA airport. One Winter evening just after sunset on a Sunday a panicked call came out over the Unicom radio screaming that there was an accident. I was alone in the office and took the call. I grabbed a blanket and rushed to the scene on the tarmac. A Cessna 210 was parked with lights on engine stopped. There a few feet in front of the engine a young girl in her 20's was on the ground motionless. I walked to her and could see she had gone head first into the spinning propeller partially decapitating her. According to her boyfriend, the pilot, she had walked to board and slipped on the wet, icy ground. I was in the Air Force and spent my entire career working on the flightline around jets and Recips (prop planes) and this was the only time I ever witnessed or was first on the scene of such an accident. It's one of those events you never forget.
Wow that’s horrible.
I used to work as a mechanic at a charter/sked operation in Northern Manitoba. One afternoon a small boy decided he wanted to get on the plane with grandma and bolted out the unlocked door and ran straight toward the turning propeller on grandma’s airplane. A baggage handler saw the kid, sprinted across the apron and dove into the little kid saving his life. It was as close as it could get. I was on the “safety committee” and advocated for a lock on the door. That didn’t happen and I moved on. A couple years later, Transport Canada pulled their ticket and they went out of business.
Wow. Glad that baggage handler was able to save the kid.
@ Most of the baggage handlers handlers were pilots working for minimum wage while hoping to eventually get a chance to fly. That guy should have been given a flying job right on the spot for his quick action.
About 4 decades ago, I witnessed a passenger who.
After being cautioned about the dangers of rotating helicopter blades.
For some unknown reason walk into the milling down tail rotor blades.
He was struck in his shoulder, and was immediately taken to the hospital.
A very deep gouge, with a fractured shoulder, as a result of.......
My dad witnessed an accident like this when a flight attendant walked into the propeller of a DC-7 in the 1960's.
I've attached ground power to a ga aircraft (Da40) and if I tripped over the cables, or slipped while unplugging it, I can see it happening, even just walking around a busy apron, complacency or a moment of carelessness could in all reality end in tragedy