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piisfish

Fatal ground accident in Montreal

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Just read the news that a young lady who was mowing the grass at Parachutisme Montreal was fatally struck by the wing of a landing plane, apparently one of the dz’s pilots flying his private plane on a day off while there was no jumping activity. Not a skydiving accident, but very closely related. 
 

some lessons to be learned apparently: communication, observation and visibility might have played a role  

https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2021/07/05/happee-par-un-avion-en-tondant-la-pelouse-dans-lanaudiere-1

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Thanks. I had only seen less complete English language news outside of 'la belle province'. On the video, the way Mario explains the lack of vision just at landing, suggests the plane was a taildragger, which makes the visibility issue a little tougher.  Lessons indeed about communication at smaller & private strips where it isn't like ground service vehicles and planes are in contact with ATC.

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2 hours ago, pchapman said:

Thanks. I had only seen less complete English language news outside of 'la belle province'. On the video, the way Mario explains the lack of vision just at landing, suggests the plane was a taildragger, which makes the visibility issue a little tougher.  Lessons indeed about communication at smaller & private strips where it isn't like ground service vehicles and planes are in contact with ATC.

One airport I jump at, all we have are taildraggers (and most without radios) and a grass strip that needs frequent mowing.  So, standard procedure is a pass down the bean field next to the runway prior to making your final landing pattern.  It was done that way when these planes were new (1930-40's), and it still works for the most part.  Your pass both allows for a pilot's visual check of the entire runway and to visually announce your intention to land on the next circuit.

The visibility for a tail dragger on landing is not much different than in a tricycle, but on taxi, initial TO, and roll-out the visibility can be from limited to completely obscured depending on the plane.  If you are around them, remember if you can't see their face, they can't see you.

(I've known of one case where one taxi'ed in front of one just starting it TO roll and they met nose to firewall to nose.)

Best wishes to those involved... RIP.

JW

 

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It was NOT a taildragger, just a plane with a bigger / longer cowl & radial engine. Looked like a Nanchang CJ-6, something like that. The riding mower and the plane off to the side of the runway could be seen in a new news video.

Not that any of this really changes the issues as mentioned in the first post.

( https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2235845 )

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CTV's Matt Grillo (sp?) needs to extract his cranium from his rectum because anyone can see that Nanjing CJ-6 is almost useless for skydiving .... ergo there is no need for Parachute Montreal to own a Nanjing.

Chinese-made Nanjing trainers are popular with warbird owner/pilots because they can be bought for a fraction of the cost of Spitfires, etc. They are a Chinese design loosely based on the Yak 55 trainer that is also popular with warbird pilots.

 

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It was impossible for the lawn mower driver to hear a plane approaching for landing.

To prevent a repeat - of this accident - we should install better mufflers on gasoline powered lawn mowers. Did I ever tell you how much I hate the sound of loud lawn-mowers?

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Government report has been released:

http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2021/A21Q0052/A21Q0052.html?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Aviator_Newsletter_-_411_-_Mar19&utm_medium=email

Basically a communications breakdown and lack of clarity over safe procedures.  

The person on the grass mower may have started moving next to the runway just after the Twin Otter landed, not realizing that another plane was about to land. The field is basically used only for skydiving, but occasionally a small plane will fly into the PPR (Prior Permission Required) airport. The person flying in there in his personal aircraft was one of the skydiving company's pilots, and when I jumped there years back I have seen one of the owners of the company fly in with their own little Cessna.

The person cutting the grass wasn't one of the usual grass cutters, and had done the task only a few times. The grass cutters had been informed they could cut grass when the Twin Otter was on the ground. The report didn't get into what else the person knew -- Whether they thought that ONLY the Twin Otter would be flying, or whether they knew that 'very occasionally there are other airplanes around -- it is a live runway -- so always keep your eyes peeled'.

The report I thought unfairly criticized the pilot for not getting prior permission to land. Yet he had gotten in communication with the Twin Otter to sequence their arrivals, so he had some permission from the current DZ traffic to land. The report seems to imply that PPR is something that one needs to get for every arrival, but isn't clear about it. However, the pilot had flown his own plane in and out of the strip a number of times, and I expect he thought he had standing permission to drop in. (I have also operated that way elsewhere, if the airport owner gave me standing permission to drop by.)

There is no mention in the report whether anyone was monitoring or usually monitors the air frequency on the ground. The grass cutter did not have a radio. Which of course would increase situational awareness.

My impression is that the grass cutters weren't well briefed or practiced on the airfield's procedures -- especially that there might occasionally be aircraft other than the Twin Otter. Lack of a radio (and one usable while running a noisy mower) certainly makes any ground activity next to a runway more dangerous.

 

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