Refugee frozen to death in Brussels Airlines landing gear

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C_J
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Refugee frozen to death in Brussels Airlines landing gear

Post by C_J »


Patatje_
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Post by Patatje_ »

heard that one of the technicians found him...
didn't want to stand in his shoes...
thank god I only work on the Avro RJ :-)
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Pilotman
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Post by Pilotman »

I was to prepare this aircraft for the following flight. It was in the principal gear right. Unfortunately, he died :( . We have to prepare the aircraft of replacement.

C_J
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Post by C_J »

We should realise that the real problem is not the fact that this guy was in the landing gear, but the reason for his act of despair. People in West Africa (and other parts of the continent/world) risk their life just to get away from continuing poverty (see the Canary Islands). Think about it!

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Buzz
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Post by Buzz »

There is another problem with this situation: you can't bring a botle of water with you on the plane, but apperantly a terrorist can sneak a bom into the wheelwell of an airplane without being seen (in Africa at least).

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sn26567
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Re: Refugee frozen to death in Brussels Airlines landing gea

Post by sn26567 »

https://www.aviation24.be/article13435.html

In English. And posted earlier...

Also on FlightGlobal: http://tinyurl.com/ymrp9x

A similar story happened with Delta three days before:

https://www.aviation24.be/article13410.html
André
ex Sabena #26567

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Darjeeling
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Post by Darjeeling »

This involves two issues:
* The guy could have endangered all the other +250 pax if his body would have blocked the nose gear when retracting.
* Security in Dakar/Banjul around the plane ? If a guy can go into the landing gear, he can place anything else instead no ?
That said, it's sad...
:( :(
Dj.

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Avro
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Post by Avro »

Apparently the guy was an airport employee in Africa. That's why he had access to the tarmac over there...

Still a sad story. It's amazing what people are ready to do in order to escape from their poverty :(
We have to prepare the aircraft of replacement.
a replacement aircraft ??

Chris
Last edited by Avro on 16 Jan 2007, 19:24, edited 1 time in total.

Patatje_
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Post by Patatje_ »

if he worked at the airport in africa, he should have realised that he would't survive the flight...
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Patatje_
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Post by Patatje_ »

Avro wrote:Apparently he guy was an airport employee in AFrica. That's why he had access to the tarmac over there...

Still a sad story. It's amazing what people are ready to do in order to escape from their poverty :(
We have to prepare the aircraft of replacement.
a replacement aircraft ??

Chris
probebly just a change of gates...
Visit www.batechnics.com ! (Belgian Aviation Technics)

Pilotman
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Post by Pilotman »

After the discovery of the corpse, another A330 BA was to move on the right of the plane blocked on the ground. It is surely to replace the plane blocked on the ground by the parquet (police)

iechist
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Post by iechist »

Are there any known instances of people surviving this sort of trip. Between the cold and the lack of Oxygen at 10,000m, I'm assuming not.

Maybe it's time to be more assertive with this kind of incident and instead of expressions of sympathy, airline management should be letting it be known that anyone who does this is as good as committing suicide.

SN30952
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Line up the crew.... line up the stoaways

Post by SN30952 »

C_J wrote:We should realise that the real problem is not the fact that this guy was in the landing gear, but the reason for his act of despair. People in West Africa (and other parts of the continent/world) risk their life just to get away from continuing poverty (see the Canary Islands). Think about it!
So did our ancestors, C_J. You know all the white people that spread all over the world during centuries, weren't delivered by DHL. The thousands of Irish people that fled over the ocean, as an example, did not travel C-class.
But most of them went for a better future, they were making a (new) future, too.
And there were always stowaways, as long as transport exists. How many times have we seen Tintin as a stowaway?
Read: Standards and recommended practices for dealing with stowaways

But in my eyes the tragedy is double. This chap flees, in despair maybe, for a better, richer live. But we are told he was an airline worker. (Was his intention to go to DKR or BRU, who will tell?). The problem is that the chap was lacking training, because if he was given the right information by his employer, he would probably never climb into a gear well. The problem may then well be lack of training, education, skills.
And ain't that one of the problems of Africa?

On the other hand, he planned maybe to go to Dakar the cheap way, because he was in love with a Senegalese, who will tell.

btw, I remember, that in the heat of Africa it was sometimes very nice to stand, sit, hang in the hold or gear section, because it was nice cool, in there.

And, not-so-young LZ readers will remind, the staff line ups on the tarmac. Panam did it all over the world. A simple reason why that was done was to have a count of all the staff, checking if no one was missing.

I always wondered if that came out of their flying boats tradition, like the Marine that also always was lining up the crew?

More technically spoken:
If you work(ed) as a station manager in a Commonwealth country, you would probably have read: (Note Gambia is a Commonwealth member)
Commonwealth Consolidated Acts
CIVIL AVIATION (CARRIERS' LIABILITY) ACT 1959 - SECT 42
Stowaways
This gives you an idea of the liability of the carrier (SN) and its station manager at BJL.

Also ICAO wrote some interesting lines on stowaways and the definition of an accident:
Accident (ICAO Annex 13)
An occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight until such time as all such persons have disembarked, in which:

a) a person is fatally or seriously injured as a result of
- being in the aircraft, or
- direct contact with any part of the aircraft, including parts which have become detached from the aircraft, or
- direct exposure to jet blast,except when the injuries are from natural causes, self inflicted or inflicted by other persons, or when the injuries are to stowaways hiding outside the areas normally available to the passengers and crew: or

b) the aircraft sustains damage or structural failure which:
- adversely affects the structural strength, performance or flight characteristics of the aircraft, and
- would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component,

except for engine failure or damage. when the damage is limited to the engine, its cowlings or accessories: or for damage limited to propellers, wing tips, antennas, tires, brakes, fairings, small dents or puncture holes in the aircraft skin: or

c) the aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible.


So ICAO call that an accident.

SN30952
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Hypoxia and Hypothermia

Post by SN30952 »

I am not a medic, (only a qualified station manager and Sabena reg mgr), but this seems to be the reason why stowaways die:
Lethal Levels of Hypoxia and Hypothermia

Few survive the high-altitude phase of flight, and those who do are often unconscious during descent and risk falling to their death when the landing gear is lowered.

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Bruspotter
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Post by Bruspotter »

Hello

It really is amazing that the past is repeating itself. It happened several times more since I first heard of such thing with the Sabena flight , so many years ago. Also with other airlines then SN and Sabena.

I'm only wondering one thing:
Apparently the guy was an airport employee in Africa. That's why he had access to the tarmac over there...
IF he did worked at the airport at Banjul I guess this men see a lot of planes (of course relative , but several a day so ... enough I would say), than I would think he would have knewn that you can't possible survive a thing like that. Imagine , how long would it be flying from Banjul (straight) , between 8-9hrs? Imagine you could survive the cold and the lack of oxygen , you might get stuck with a part of your body when the gear retracks. Imagine that you are stuck for 9hrs , you might even not survive THAT.

It is really sad. And the worst part is that it seems to be increasing.
I'm afraid it's not just about TO GET here in BRU , but sacrifising yourself to protest against the disorder in the West African country's.


Best regards: Yannick ;)

smokejumper
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Post by smokejumper »

iechist wrote:Are there any known instances of people surviving this sort of trip. Between the cold and the lack of Oxygen at 10,000m, I'm assuming not.

Maybe it's time to be more assertive with this kind of incident and instead of expressions of sympathy, airline management should be letting it be known that anyone who does this is as good as committing suicide.
There were several instances of this several years ago in the US. A stowaway climbed up into the nosewell of a US bound 767 (forget the airline or date) and flew from South America to the US and barely survived. In another instance, the stowaway died.

Rago
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Post by Rago »

Avro wrote:That's why he had access to the tarmac over there...
Almost Everybody has access in most of Africa.
If you see, in a lot of places, people crossing runways seconds before landing or take-off of a plane, you don't have to be surprised encountering corpses between the landing-gear... If there's no security at all, everything is possible.
That's not only the case in Africa; even in Europe, with all it's "security", a lot of things are possible!

carlcat
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security at airports

Post by carlcat »

The past person is not necessarly a an employee of the airoport .
As we have already dificulties in Belgium to keep our airport secure . I can guess security is not existing in africa

Also we dont have to use americian outboud situations in Africa as the Americans are using in Belgium .

Its sad to experience and unlikely to face for the person who discovered the body but it will stay actual for very long time .

We can only hope it will not happen again .

Carl

TCAS_climb
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Post by TCAS_climb »

The fact that the poor chap worked at the airport doesn't mean he knew enough about the risks of high altitude flying in an unpressurized compartment.

For instance, next time I go to Cotonou I'll seriously kick the butt of a former Air Afrique station manager: this guy almost killed me and a few hundred passengers by sneaking several tons of cargo that put us out of CG range and weight limits for takeoff. He should have known better, especially since I clearly explained him we were on the edge and that we couldn't take that f@§#*ing cargo.

But where there's a will, there's a way. (sigh)
:roll:

SN30952
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Post by SN30952 »

TCAS_climb wrote:next time I go to Cotonou I'll seriously kick the butt of a former Air Afrique station manager:
But where there's a will, there's a way. (sigh) :roll:
Kick'em, but kick'em professionally! :P They know what football is.

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