Mechanic FODs are another recurrent accident.. everything started with the Sabre and her nice air intake!
Earlier than that, old boy (twirls end of handlebar ‘tache he doesn’t have), and it was a pilot! 1942-3 at a guess.
The Gloster F.9/40 (and we all know what that became) was being run up by a mechanic when he noticed out of the corner of his eye the pilot, Michael Daunt, suddenly vanish from his position near the leading edge of the wing. He immediately cut the throttles and found that Daunt had been sucked into one intake 😮 – thankfully without going far enough in to do any damage. Screens were promptly produced for the intakes, nicknamed “Dauntstoppers”!
Source of anecdote – Daunt’s obit. in a well-known aviation magazine beginning with F!
In his defence, I doubt anyone had realised then just how much suck a jet intake had – but he learnt fast!
That happened to a bloke named Pitchfork at bruggen, he went up the intake
of a F86, my father helped to pull him out, he was in hospital for months. 😮
Phil.
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