Worst mishap at an FBO

[Learsforsale]

In the middle of winter one our rampies gets in a rush and goes running over to park a light twin and slips. Thankfully his leg catches the nose wheel before he gets into the props. Unfortunately, he shatters his ankle quite badly....(DON'T RUN ON ICY RAMPS....)

An important lesson learned here: Don't run on ice toward spinning fans of death.

 

[FlyBigE]

no doubt

 

[IFLYHI]

First -

A ferry pilot (with not much Lake experience) was preparing to ferry a Lake Renegade. He primed the engine, with the throttle full open, and then forgot to pull the throttle back before he started it. When it started, and then went to full power, he couldn't find the throttle (above you head in a Lake). He did find the prop control (which he thought was the throttle), and pulled it all the way back, but that didn't help. The airplane headed across the ramp, picking up speed. Fortunately, there was a tiedown ramp full of airplanes right infront of him to help bring him to a stop. After the airplane spun around 5 or 6 times, badly damaging three other airplanes, he finally found the mixture control and shut it down. The happy ending to the story is that nobody got hurt, and the maintenance shop had about a years worth of work to keep them busy!

Second

A new Falcon 900EX pulles up to an FBO in AZ. After the crew had left for the hotel, the lineboy decides to move the airplane. He backed it up a slight incline, and then used a small set of chocks on the nosewheel. Just after he had unhooked the towbar and backed up a bit, the airplane jumped the chock and rolled into the tug. The tug scraped along the right side of the fuselage, and then the right wing sheared off the steering wheel/seat of the tug. It came to rest with the tug firmly wedged under the right wing. The airplane wasn't flyable, so they fixed it there. A new right wing was flown in from France. Yes, I'm sure about that, they flew a 900EX wing from France to AZ! Anyone care to guess what kind of aircraft can carry a complete 900EX wing?

 

[moonlight]

I heard from the salesman we bought our King Air from that a few months ago up in Seattle at Galvin a brand new Premier was totalled out by a tug being driven into the wing root. Waste of a tug if you ask me...
In my younger days as an FO on a B300, we landed at JAC, were being marshalled in between two planes by a couple of ramp girlies, and even with them standing there, managed to drive the right winglet under the tail of a Westwind. Glad it happened on that side though...other side was Air Force II!
Recently had a lineman at our home FBO manage to shut the door on my King Air w/ the cargo straps hanging out. Genius decided that the best way to get the "stiff" door to shut was to slam it repeatedly. The outer flange of the door finally gave, splitting in the process. Looks like the door is going to have to be reskinned/repainted now. Oh yeah, plane had 52 hrs. on it when it happened. Owners are IMPRESSED!

 

[fastbird]

Two events from the 2000 Presidential race...

First, VP Gore stopped at the FBO. While he's running into town for a speech, they want the plane catered, fueled, and lav dumped. The first three went fine, even the lav service went well until the ramper stowed the hose. That's when he bumped the dump valve handle. It released a couple gallons of ripe waste at the plane, which he didn't see before he drove off. That one mistake laid out a thick trail of the rancid waste water from AF2 thru the limo parking area, down the road where the limos were to enter the ramp and back to the cart's storage shed. It stuck like heck! Secret Service made them get a hose and wash down the trail of stench as best they could. That took until about 10 minutes prior to the VP's return. I wonder if the VP even noticed the wet concrete near the boarding stairs when it had not been raining all week.

Same FBO, later in the races...this time at night....
An impatient Freight Dawg in a Commander doesn't want to taxi out the long way. He wants to cut thru the area where GWB's campaign 757 is parked. The rampers tell him, he's got to do a 180 turn and exit the other end of the ramp. About 30 minutes later, he's walking out to the plane. I'm on the flight deck of the 757 with the pilot and a Secret Service agent. Mr. F-Dawg fires up one engine of his Commander and starts to taxi towards the 757. He ignores or didn't see the rampers running towards his airplane. As he passes almost under the nose of the 757, he's starting #2. Then, he angles down the sweep line of the 757's wing and turns a bit more into the 757's wing after he passes the #2 engine. The SS guy is pissed, the 757 Captain is shouting explitives about the wing tip going under his right wing. As he exits, his wing tip is passing UNDER the last eight feet or so of the 757's wing. The SS gets the guys N number and says the owner of that plane will be getting a personal visit from them and the FAA the next day.