Don't wear your Ipod at the beach

[KenBurris]

Unbelievable luck !
The news just had a bit about a man walking on the beach at Hilton Head while listening to his Ipod. - He was killed when HIT BY A PLANE! that had lost it's engine
http://www.theage.com.au/world/ipod-...0317-qeb4.html

[cgallery]

What a shame.

I understand he had oil on the windshield and couldn't see.

But, if you were the pilot (with one passenger), and you could see, which type of emergency landing would you chose:

(a) sacrifice yourself and your passenger to protect the innocent bystander strolling on the beech

(b) take-out the bystander to save the two lives in the plane.

[cabinetman]

What a shame.

I understand he had oil on the windshield and couldn't see.

But, if you were the pilot (with one passenger), and you could see, which type of emergency landing would you chose:

(a) sacrifice yourself and your passenger to protect the innocent bystander strolling on the beech

(b) take-out the bystander to save the two lives in the plane.

Not having a lot of time to deliberate, it looks like no decision was made due to circumstances. This begs the question as to how aware of our surroundings should we be? A little too late for the "If only's".
.

[atgcpaul]

Gliders are virtually silent until they swoop past you. At least that's my
experience when I worked next door to the Torrey Pines Glider Port in La Jolla.
I don't think any of us would have heard it coming especially with our back to
it.

I hope they don't start mandating horns on planes because of this.

[Stytooner]

I hope they don't start mandating horns on planes because of this.

Why would that be a bad thing?

[cabinetman]

Gliders are virtually silent until they swoop past you. At least that's my
experience when I worked next door to the Torrey Pines Glider Port in La Jolla.
I don't think any of us would have heard it coming especially with our back to
it.

I hope they don't start mandating horns on planes because of this.

I vote for 'ooga horns'.
.

[Larryl]

Why would that be a bad thing?

+1 I am not a pilot but a powered plane that is making an unpowered landing is landing with vertually no manuverability. I would think it would be to everyone advantage to be made aware of the situation, i.e.; lights, sirens, horns whatever could alert people on the ground of the emergency.

[BobSch]

Horns on planes? How about sirens like the Germans used on the Junkers JU87?

[HarmsWay]

Similar thing happened a year or two ago in Kamloops, BC (I think) where a helicopter went down in a residential area killing a young man on the street who was unaware because he was listening to music with headphones.