Stowaway found dead in BA landing gear bay at Heathrow

This is a pretty sad story, but kind of funny when I realize just how stupid people can be. It goes to show that they should really make exceptions for security reasons. The fact that they couldn’t proceed toward the aircraft “for safety reasons” is pretty disturbing. Surely there was a lack of smarts used in this whole situation.

(my bold)

You can perhaps argue many failings in this case, however the decision by security not to pursue is unlikely to be one of them.

Not running in front of a moving aircraft is not a nod to the HSE but in most people a survival trait.

The crew are very unlikely able to see you and you are unlikely to see all of the bumps lumps and other protruberences that may strike you, quite apart from the risk of being injested or blown / blasted senseless.

I myself have witnessed an awful lot of cases of Antenna Rash caused by inattention near staionary aircraft

This is a pretty sad story, but kind of funny when I realize just how stupid people can be. It goes to show that they should really make exceptions for security reasons. The fact that they couldn’t proceed toward the aircraft “for safety reasons” is pretty disturbing. Surely there was a lack of smarts used in this whole situation.

Whilst it might not stop them, it should highlight the fact that gear bays aren’t pressurised or heated… So the fleeing can make informed decisions (and thus hopefully reduce the numbers of these incidents).

I’m not sure an education program would work.
What would you do…put warning stickers on airport fences?

If they’re that desperate, common sense and well meaning words from the “first world” will mean little.

Would it take much to over a period to install CCTV in landing gear bays/recesses

Would it take much to over a period to install CCTV in landing gear bays/recesses in all civil airliners?

Bright lights also illuminating the landing gear area located within the gear bay/recess while the aircraft was taxiing, holding or preparing to take off. These lights would switch off once the aircraft was airborne and wheels retracted.

And who would watch this real time CCTV coverage? (It only becomes necessary at take off and all crew would be seated and strapped in)
IMO Senior Steward/Stewardess who should alert flight crew who would abort take off summoning airport security if stowaways were identified as being inside the aircraft gear bays/recesses or attempting to jump on.

May sound ideal but it is achievable and possibly avoids coroners inquests and occupation time of airline staff especially crew possibly attending these inquests when tragedies occur.

IMO this would reduce the waste of the lives of desperate (fleeing persons from a nation for reasons only they would know)

IMO it would certainly reduce the terrorist threat by suicidal terrorist/s with bombs, becoming stowaways in gear bay/recesses of airliners .

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=149063
this weekend near Heathrow

this happens with surprising regularity in the area,

Matt-100, I think you underestimate just how desperate these people are. A sign would not affect the rationale of such a person. I am sure people who do try are aware that it is a very dangerous act, but even that may be better than what they are leaving.

I am not saying that they are a problem, but they are indicative of a problem in their country. They are not the problem on aviation, and adding more regulation to aviation is not the answer.

Threespool also states facts – namely that a sign will not stop a desperate person whether terrorist or fleeing from goodness knows what….

Whilst it might not stop them, it should highlight the fact that gear bays aren’t pressurised or heated… So the fleeing can make informed decisions (and thus hopefully reduce the numbers of these incidents).

I think the problem is, people fleeing a country for whatever reason simply aren’t aware of the dangers. It’s not like a freight train you can simply board and jump off when you reach your destination.

Education is the best form of prevention in this scenario.

It’s easy for frequent flyers to say ‘gear bays are obviously dangerous’, but for those living in poorer nations who have probably never flown before (or have very little understanding of aircraft in general) – nor know of the dangers of high altitude on the human body to think that the gear bay is just like any other part of the internal cabin.

Could they not put signs up on airport perimeter boundaries stating the dangers of climbing on-board aircraft?

On a security note, couldn’t an al-Qaeda terrorist jump on a plane in much the same way and blow it up?

Threespool also states facts – namely that a sign will not stop a desperate person whether terrorist or fleeing from goodness knows what….

Sadly the terror threat alone should make EU and US airlines demand some reassurance from all international airports that aircraft cannot be boarded while holding on taxiways etc

A sign at the perimeter on an airport is not going to stop someone who is so desperate to seek a new life somewhere better. That is not an aviation problem.

It is this paranoid thinking that has made aviation a lot more stressful – for passengers and people that have transit security multiple times a day, for – I feel – very little gain.

That’s what I was thinking. They’d have plenty of time to attach a bomb before they died.

Could they not put signs up on airport perimeter boundaries stating the dangers of climbing on-board aircraft?

On a security note, couldn’t an al-Qaeda terrorist jump on a plane in much the same way and blow it up?

as i warned it has happened

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=149063
this weekend near Heathrow

Several ‘success’ stories. 😉

In the US in 2000 there were three and in 2002, one.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2003/12/do_jet_stowaways_ever_survive.html

I seem to recall someone survived from a brief flight years ago.
Can’t recall sopecifics.

I seem to recall a body being found in Hounslow (possibly Fullwell) not so long ago. Fell from an aircraft.
Are there any recorded incidents of people surviving?

I cant understand why the SA authorities allowed the man to get to the aircraft in the first place secondly why they let an aircraft continue its flight knowing that a man had climbed into the landing gear, it beggars belief

Boggles the mind. Why didn’t the security vehicle immediately report to the tower? Why was the guy so desperate to leave the country? :confused: Perhaps had a mental condition but we will never know.

if the body had fallen out like in the 70s and landed on someone or thing in Staines of west London
i think the story would jave been bigger in the news and more action taken
but as he remained on the plane during the landing phase it was not a big story

I guess with these big modern jetliners there is space in the gear wells of the mains. I recall this happening back in the 1970s when someone jumped a 707 and fell out of the wheel bay when the gear was lowered for landing – dead naturally (thank god) as the stowaway didn’t take into consideration -60 degree temps and no air.

well said, and like many others who would have read one of the earlier posts with dismay, I also feel there’s nothing funny about this tragedy.

Regards…..Paul

They only saw him approach the aircraft, not climb into the landing gear. I presume it was dark at the time. I too find nothing funny in that someone should be so desperate as to try and stow away in the landing gear of an aircraft. Terrible for the man himself, terrible for his family and no less terrible for the poor bu**er on the ground at LHR who actually found him.

Regards,

kev35

The Person was seen climbing a fence and running towards aircraft about to take off, this should of at least warranted a call from the tower to stop the aircraft from even moving.
I certainly don’t find it funny in any case