Netjets guy who lost his eye frm a static wick?

[Captain4242]

Some years ago I saw some grusome pictures of a poor Netjets pilot who got a static wick in his eye. They were, to say the least, pretty chilling pictures.
Recently someone told me that this man turned out to be OK. Can anyone confirm/deny this? I hope he was OK...hate to see something like that happen to someone.

 

[CE750Driver]

Im guessing he wil reply himself, he didnt lose his eye and yes, he is okay.
From the accident anyway......

 

[Mike Jenvey]

For those of a squeamish disposition, do NOT look here....... We had the same pictures over here, & were told that he recovered safely.

There are lots of nasty, sharp, pointy items on biz jets that are in very close proximity to us when we do a walkround. If the weather permits, I tend to wear my sunglasses whilst checking the exterior - they stop the glare from those nice, clean ( ) painted surfaces & they give an extra layer of protection in case you get too close to a hazard! Of course, all those with fashion-conscious posing shades, like the top of the range Oakleys, do that anyway - even in the rain!!

For areas of higher "risk," especially for the wing static wicks, I raise my forearm up too as a preventative barrier. On the F2000 EASy, the wicks on the port wing are nicely in the way as crew or baggage handlers move to or from the rear baggage hold - had several wicks broken off that way, luckily no injuries.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Here's the pilot who it actually happened to.

Here's his post and story:

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?p=277666#post277666

Yes, the story is true... as are the pictures.

I'm the one laying there by the plane. And I'll tell the story here because the safety aspect of it needs to be told.

It happened in Puerata Vallarta almost a month ago to the day. Because the taxiway was narrow the wing hung out over a downward sloping grassy area. I was walking back from the baggage area, around the left wingtip, to the front of the airplane and was distracted by something in my pocket. Also, because of the downslope, the wingtip was some 10-12" higher than normal causing it to be out of my perphriphal vision... an important thing.

I started to look up from putting the pocket object into my wallet as I made the turn around the wingtip... or so I thought. I had been distracted and not paying attention as I walked. First mistake... PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING WHEN AROUND AIRPLANES!. Also, I did not notice the wing rising. Second mistake. COMPLACENCY!

As pilots we work in, around, on, above, under, over our aircraft every day. We know where every antenna, bump, edge, fin, wire, or wick are. Or so we think... This "awareness" is built on our active senses... that being direct sight, perphripal vision, sound, and movement. On this day, because I was walking on a downward slope, the wing moved up and out of my normal field of vision. Not being able to see the wing means you're out past it... right? NOT ALWAYS!

I was turning to the right and starting to look up as I walked right into the trailing edge of the outboard left wingtip. I was impaled by the 2nd static wick from the end of the wing right below the left tear duct. The static wick went in a total of about 3 inches, immediately snapped off, and had to be surgically removed. I was consious the whole time and was able to relay my condition to my fellow pilot. This allowed him to handle the tasks suddenly thrust upon him knowing that I was not in extreme duress. And yes, having learned earlier that it is smart to document any problem with visual evidence, I carry a digital camera and asked him to take some pictures for later. I was laying down in the one picture of the wingtip because I was going into shock and knew I needed to stabilize myself before I fainted. Laying down worked.

To finish, I am well and healing. The injury was serious but luckily did not damage any significant areas. Our company took care of me and my family from the git-go and continue to do so, and I'm danged glad to work at NJA. I hope to be back on the line sometime in February.

But the important thing is the lesson learned.

PAY ATTENTION. It is easy to be complacent. While you're performing tasks around an airplane is not the time to be multi-tasking.

LITTLE THINGS CAN KILL. Pay attention to non-standard situations. Address them to your partner and pax so they will be aware of the one-time danger.

So that's the story. If I could attach a picture to show everyone how shocking this was, and why I'm so serious about the safety aspect, I would. For now, I guess I'll just have to become an Internet legend and when you finally see the pics, think back to this.

 

[ghostrider64]

I'm sure he'll keep an eye out for you guys LOL

 

[yosemite]

A friend (thanks BW) told me you guys were asking...

Yes, I'm fine and plugging right along. The date was December 29, 2003 and the only long term effects I have from the accident are an occasional soreness of the muscles under my left eye. I would attribute this to the fact that the surgeon cut me under the eye to remove the static wick.

In the interim, the pictures have made it around. I have had a number of military groups ask for their use in the safety briefings they do; I provided them readily. Our company used them during indoc as a way of driving home the message of paying attention to one's own personal safety. When asked, for the same purpose, I will put on a demonstration explaining the event and what I have learned.

For me personally, the event did change how I do things. While I'm still married to either of my blackberries, I find myself stopping in my tracks when I pull it out to read. It wasn't the BB that I was looking at when I got hurt, but that is the biggest thing we all do that can cause this type of accident. I find myself coming to a stop walking across a ramp, in shopping malls, at home. While I continue to multi-task on many things, I don't do it when I'm not paying attention to my surroundings. That is the biggest lesson from this accident; always pay attention to what you are doing when your safety is at risk... don't walk and text, don't drive a car and type (as a biker, this is EXTREMELY important to me), etc.

As for history, unfortunately I still get informed when something like this happens to another person. At our company, we have had one pilot, two flight attendants, and one mechanic injured similarly since my accident. I have heard other reports from the industry. I do what I can to educate folks about their personal safety and respond when I hear about folks asking.

So, thanks for asking... Be safe!

 

[Mike Jenvey]

<<<< Yes, I'm fine and plugging right along. >>>>

Great to hear it, & many thanks for the invaluable feedback!

 

[steelersrule74]

Yes, I'm fine and plugging right along.

plugging or waddling.......same difference.

thank you very much.........

 

[CA1900]

The Excel's AOA is right at my eyeline, and I shudder to think what its trailing edge would do if it dug into my eyeball. When I catch myself looking in a different direction than I'm moving, I freeze in my tracks and think about Yosemite's incident. It could happen to any of us!

 

[stupidpilot]

Next time you had better watch where you're going!

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I'm happy you are healed and doing well.