Another BA own goal

[NigelC]

http://walesairforum.wordpress.com/2013 ... rways-jet/

[Garry Russell]

Oh dear...the human element again

[emfrat]

Two questions:
Why was a baggage handler anywhere near the engine intakes?
Why was his barcode reader not hung around his neck, on the usual colour co-ordinated lanyard complete with company logo, like his ID, door opener and all the other cards?


MikeW

[Garry Russell]

When at the forward baggage door you are standing right in front of the engine. He probably just placed it there as it was convenient. Not something that should be done but I bet it's not the only time it has been. Won't be done in the future I'm sure.

[Jon.M]

An airline source told The Sun: “This accident could have been a lot worse. The plane could have been downed if it had happened after take-off. The baggage handler in question is mortified.”

They load baggage after take off!

Jon

PS. I read these sort of stories and think 'What kind of idiot could do something so stupid?' Then it occurs to me that it's just the sort of thing I could do.

[Garry Russell]

Just the point Jon

We all do stupid things, just that some can't be allowed to happen

Many safety procedures state the obvious but the obvious is where the guard drops.

But...quick turn rounds and fewer staff????

No excuse of course, but on the other hand is it fact??

[nigelb]

Well I have done plenty of stupid things in my life but none that cost £4 million worth!

Nigel²

[Tonks]

I doubt very much it would have "downed the aircraft"... trashed the engine yes, but the loss of the engine will not bring it down! Typical press hype; over blowing the danger!

They don't make engines like they used to... I remember a VC10 flying home from Germany and only when they got back did a ground engineer realise his d x D cell torch was missing. That had been left in the intake... and whilst the engine was ruined, it had operated fine for nearly hours!!!

Tonks

[Chris Trott]

Yeah, but a scanner is about 3-4 times larger than a D-Cell Torch, so it's not quite "apples-to-apples", even though the torch is fully metal, the issue is that the size allows it to pass through the engine much quicker and in fewer pieces, meaning less chances for damage.

As for the incident itself - at least it was accidental. Frontier Airlines had an engine totalled by a mechanic (engineer) throwing a chock into the engine during startup because he felt the plane was "unsafe" to fly after it had been hit by lightning, even though a full lightning inspection had found no issues. We also had a fueler run into the engine of a Frontier A319 and do just as much damage. Guy didn't do his safety stops and was going too fast. Needless to say, the first guy got charged with interfering with flight operations (and fired). He was found guilty a few years ago and sent to prison. The second guy was just fired.

[speedbird591]

The VC10 was very vulnerable to having debris dropped in the engines. The rear service door was only a few inches forward of the engines and the catering trucks had a very tight squeeze to get to it inside the sweep of the wing. The ramp of the catering truck had two engine covers attached to it and the first job for the loader was to put the big yellow fibreglass covers over the intakes as they were right alongside. In some third world countries the covers would be missing and the opportunity for something to be dropped over the edge was always present.

On the Supers the same problem applied to the port side with the passenger steps. It was less common for engine covers to be placed on these and as the breeze was a bit more lively at the top of the steps it wasn't unusual to have to retrieve hats or scarves from the engine before removing the steps.

I don't actually recall anybody doing it, but the proximity of the engines to the catering equipment gave rise to a common euphemism. If we were preparing to leave a slip station reluctantly, because we'd had a good time, someone would usually say 'chuck a teaspoon in the engine and let's have another night here'. It would have been very easy and very naughty

Ian