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Chicago-area man crushed to death by airplane equipment at O'Hare Airport: report
A Chicago-area man has died after being crushed by airplane equipment on Sunday afternoon at O’Hare International Airport, according to reports. The Cook County medical examiner's office on Monday said Jijo George, 35, of Des Plaines, suffered multiple injuries after he was crushed by an “aircraft drivable pushback apparatus” at the airport's hanger 764. (www.foxnews.com) More...
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Sad news. What a horrid way to die.
Very sad. Probably another case of hearing protection and audible equipment warnings not working well together.
"“aircraft drivable pushback apparatus” ... I guess that's a tug. Weird name for it though because it makes it sound like the aircraft drives it rather than the other way around. I wonder if this counts as an aircraft fatality on the O'Hare safety record?
Sounds like "legalese" or FAA nomenclature.
GOODNESS..THE "HUFFS" OR "TUGS" AS WE USED TO CALL THEM,ARE LARGE,YES,HEAVY,YES,AND AR KIND OF A MINITRACTOR WITHOUT A CAB..SOME AR SEMI ENCLOSED BUT A LOT OF THEM ARE NOT..I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE COULD BE CRUSHED,OBVIOUSLY BY BEING RUN OVER.UNLESS HE WAS ACTUALLY DRIVING IT,STOPPED FOR MINUTE AND DIDNT PUT THE EQUIPMENT IN A "PARK" TYPE MODE,THEN GOT OUT FOR SOME REASON..IF HE WAS ON THE RAMP,THE "RAMERS" GET OUT OF THE WAY WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IS READY FOR PUSHBACK AND THE BAGGAGE BINS ARE CLOSED AND LOCKED..THEY ALSO SIGNAL ONE ANOTHER AND THE CAPTAIN..
It is puzzling. I imagine the NTSB will do an investigation and accident report and we'll find out more then.
