• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Contact

Golf Hotel Whiskey

Golf Hotel Whiskey: for pilots and aviation enthusiasts

The Lauren Scruggs propeller tragedy

A few more details have come about the last weekend’s accident where Lauren Scruggs, a fashion blogger / model accidently walked into the blades of a spinning propeller right after taking a night flight to view Christmas lights in Dallas (she has survived but did end up loosing a hand plus she has suffered severe injuries on part of her face and shoulder).

Apparently, the pilot has declined requests for interviews with the media and Lauren’s family is not blaming him for the mishap. Her parents also believe that Lauren may have been walking back to the aircraft, an Aviat Husky, to thank the pilot who might have been preparing to take off again.  

However, is the pilot to blame for the mishap? ABC News Aviation Consultant John Nance seems to think so since a pilot would never allow passengers near, in or out of an aircraft when both the engine and propeller are still running. On the other hand, he also added that its possible that Lauren went back to the aircraft and that he was unaware that she had done so. Moreover, it would have been difficult for her to detect or hear a spinning propeller at night when the aircraft’s engines were on – especially if she has not been around general aviation aircraft that much.

Nevertheless, the FAA is investigating the incident – which should serve as a warning to any pilot who plans to take passengers who are not accustomed to being around aircraft up for a spin.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brad says

    December 10, 2011 at 15:30

    I can't help but wonder if this was a lapse of common sense- if the engine was still running, it doesn't take much life experience to know there's a spinning blade attached to the front of the plane, even if you can't see it. I guess the pilot should have, if he did not, given a generic warning to everyone on board as they deplaned. That still doesn't explain why someone would approach a plane whose engine was running.

    If the engine was off, however, different story entirely, don't you think?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Lauren Scruggs propeller tragedy – Golf Hotel Whiskey | Share My Aircraft News says:
    December 10, 2011 at 21:07

    […] Read Full Article This entry was posted in INTERESTING ARTICLES FROM THE WEB. Bookmark the permalink. ← NBAA PART OF COALITION CALLING FOR PASSAGE OF SENATE EU-ETS PROHIBITION […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Matthew Stibbe
Matthew Stibbe is CEO of Articulate Marketing and Turbine, the easy, online way to deal with office paperwork. He has an FAA CPL/IR and an EASA PPL/IR and sometimes flies a Cirrus SR-22. He also writes about wine at Vincarta and being a better manager at Geek Boss.
Bureaucracy must die eBook
Subscribe via RSS

Recent Posts

  • IATA Airport Abbreviations
  • Upcoming Concorde and Apollo documentaries
  • Lie Back And Think Of England: London To Austin On BA’s New 787 Dreamliner
  • Video: Parachuting from the edge of space
  • Hilarious preflight safety video for GA aircraft
  • San Francisco Airport at night – beautiful time lapse video
  • A practical jetpack (finally) takes off
  • A man in a hot air balloon realises he is lost
  • Pegasus House: The former HQ of the Bristol Aeroplane Company is restored
  • Vintage British aviation posters from the 1920-1930s

Copyright © 2023 Golf Hotel Whiskey. All rights reserved.