Mechanic sucked into jet engine (Continental Airlines 737)

CNN ^ | 1-16--6 | n/a

[Central Scrutiniser]

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.

[Central Scrutiniser]

This happens from time to time. CO had a station manager walk into a prop from a CO Express plane a few years ago, and several years ago had a guy who was taking a nap in the middle engine cowl of a DC-10 get sucked in.

[proudpapa]

Good thing this happened before takeoff. Otherwise he could have brought the whole plane down.

[Gay State Conservative]

I once saw a video of a Navy aircraft carrier crewman who was sucked into the engine of an aircraft and *survived*. One of the most amazing things I've ever seen!

[cripplecreek]

[coloradan]

several years ago had a guy who was taking a nap in the middle engine cowl of a DC-10 get sucked in

That does not seem like the best place to take a nap.

[sassbox]

How horrific! I hope it was over quick for the poor fellow.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Its a dangerous work area, we had two occurences where guys lost a leg while marshalling a 757 during pushback, they got caught under the front gear.

[DarthVader]

It happens on aircraft carriers every now and then.

[andyk]

"It doesn't happen very often," spokeswoman Liz Verdier said.

Well, that's a relief.

[null and void]

It was.

[fuquadukie]

Tasteless. Funny, but tasteless. ("Tastes like chicken?)

[US_MilitaryRules]

Accidents happen, but it is not funny to make jokes about it.

[BykrBayb]

Wow! That is amazing. I saw a similar video, but there is no way the guy survived. A man went in one side, and red mist came out the other.

[livius]

Very sad. A friend of mine in CA worked for a commuter airline and one day she got distracted and turned and walked into the prop when she was boarding passengers - pretty horrible thing for all concerned.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Death due to "complete morsalization" as per the tree surgeon in Colorado who got pulled into his brush chipper and coroner listed "complete morsalization" as the "cause of death"?

[RichInOC]

That su...I mean, that's horrible.

[Muleteam1]

Working around fighter jets for several years and this was always a worry in the back of my mind. The TF30 engine in the F-111 could build dustdevils in front of the intakes. Luckily the only thing I left behind in those old engines was much of my hearing.

Muleteam1

[ConservativeMind]

How would mechanics be sucked in after takeoff? It's not like the are out there flying around like birds.

[COEXERJ145]

I hope it was over quick for the poor fellow.

Most likely he never knew what hit him. Since obviously the engine was turning fast enough to suck someone in, those fan blades were turning very fast and, not to be crude about it, simply pureed him.

If anyone has ever seen video of the tests engine manufacturers do before a jet engine is certified, you'll know what I'm talking about.

[JOE6PAK]

My brother saw the same thing in the Navy.

Not a nice thing to see.

[COEXERJ145]

Actually, it did happen and the guy survived. The engine sucked off his helmet first which caused it to shut down. The guy managed to hang on long enough for the engine to lose power.

[metmom]

Oh YUCK!!!

[proxy_user]

Well, how about the safety procedures? Isn't there a manual, a set of guidelines, regular repeated training that says 'Never do this'?

[livius]

Not nice at all. When my son was in the Navy, he also saw somebody sucked into a jet engine on a carrier. We're so used to being around these things that we forget how dangerous they are.

[jwh_Denver]

Good thing this happened before takeoff.

Yeah, those flying maintenance men are a real safety hazard for airborne planes.

[Redleg Duke]

Yeah, only once per victim!

[deport]

Good thing this happened before takeoff. Otherwise he could have brought the whole plane down.

---

You figured that out all by yourself?....

[StevieB]

a guy who was taking a nap ...

This happened back in the 1960's ...

A shipyard in Seattle was extending an oil tanker, cutting it in two and adding a section. During the process the big oil pipes on the main deck were cut and were open. There was a worker on swing shift who got into the habit of eating lunch and then sneaking off for a nap -- several feet into the open cargo pipe.

Several other workers decided to teach him a lesson. Once he had crawled in and was asleep, they spot welded a piece of plywood and some temporary pieces of steel over the end of the pipe. They then walked up to the point in the pipe where his head would be, and rapped on the pipe with a big wrench. The guy was startled, but didn't start to panic until he got to the end of the pipe and hit the plywood!

He quit taking naps after that.

[Fiddlstix]

I once saw a video of a Navy aircraft carrier crewman who was sucked into the engine of an aircraft and *survived*. One of the most amazing things I've ever seen!

I saw that video too. Amazing is an understatement.

[FunkyZero]

I saw that video. A marine friend of mine said they use that video in their training courses. The guy that was sucked into the intake on the carrier was saved by his helmet. His body lodged in the intake just long enough for the helmet to be ripped off. The helmet blew the engine when it hit the turbine.

[oh8eleven]

Bass-o-matic!

[oh8eleven]

LOL ... you beat me to it!

[JoeSixPack1]

In my neck of the woods we had a painter step out of a DC10 side door. He broke his back, did hospital time on workmens comp. We chipped in and re-equiped his hospital room (TV, stereo, VCR & playboy channel) of course we figured he'd own the company as soon as the dust settled.

11 months later he was back painting airplanes. :(

[rajuchor]

ROTLMAO, what a good joke for the evening!!!!

[vrwc0915]

Very nasty reputation on these

[mware]

I have a friend who worked on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. He saw one of his friend get sucked up into an engine.

[Muleteam1]

>>Actually, it did happen and the guy survived.<<

For AF jet engines, a person could get lodged on the stator (stationary) blades preventing him from being sucked on into the whirling rotor blades. However, if not removed quickly enough, he may look like he had been attacked by giant leeches, or worse, be emptied of his internal organs.

Muleteam1

[halfright]

I wasnt gonna bring that up but my comment to my wife was "gives a new meaning to hi pilots"

[M-cubed]

A man went in one side, and red mist came out the other.<<<

Yup..its called FOOD to a jet engine...Whoops!..its only 1 O....FOD...(Foreign object damage)...and no it doesn't mean the guy was a foreign undocumented worker..

[Cvengr]

Hmmm, posted on the news at 5:55 on 1-16-6, ...I can just hardly wait until 1:11 on 6-6-6

[OKSooner]

You're a funny guy.

[Radix]

OMG, I just flew on a Continental 737 less than one week ago.

[fish hawk]

Then why do we laugh when Wile E. Coyote gets creamed every few minutes?

[randog]

Hehehehe....I was waiting for someone to comment on that...8^)

[Revolting cat!]

I've always thought she blows, now ya tell me she sucks!

[Revolting cat!]

[TXBSAFH]

The old A-7 Corsair was nicknamed the man eater.

[gotribe]

Last place the boss would look.

[coloradan]

But apparently the first place the boss would see it as headline news.

[DarthVader]

Yep my friends who served on carriers said that was one of the prime culprits.