Saved By Onlookers When Aircraft Ran Off Taxiway

The FAA is investigating an incident at an Indiana airport yesterday evening. According to witnesses, around 18:00 local Thomas And Marilyn Kroll of Cincinnati were taxiing for a takeoff at Delaware County Airport in Muncie, IN when they were apparently overcome by yet to be identified fumes in the cockpit and lost consciousness.

It's unknown if the couple had flown in from another location or was departing on the day's first flight.

Pilot Gene Marlin of Greenwood, IN was also preparing for takeoff and watched the Kroll's plane veer off the taxiway. He taxied his aircraft near the Kroll's to investigate.

Marlin told WTHR TV, "Whenever I got there, the line-boy had the door open but the gentlemen and the lady were still in the airplane and the airplane was running. I just shut the engine off and pulled the people from the airplane out."

He said he suspects carbon monoxide poisoning based on what he saw.

"The way the glass on the inside of the cockpit was all steamed up with a white; it was all kind of glazed over but it wasn't ice... and the smell. The fumes were real strong in there."

The Krolls were taken by helicopter to Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis. Marilyn Kroll was listed in serious condition and Thomas Kroll was in fair condition. It's unknown whether either has regained consciousness.

Most single-engine general aviation aircraft use a shroud around the engine's muffler to collect heat and port it into the cabin. A leak in the exhaust system can force deadly carbon monoxide fumes directly into the cockpit if the pilot or passenger attempts to heat the cabin.

Many experts recommend operators of aircraft utilizing cabin heat systems such as the one described carry a carbon monoxide detector -- especially in the winter months when the cabin heat system is likely to be used.

So far, none of the local media reports have identified the Kroll's aircraft. It currently sits in a hangar at the airport awaiting an inspection by the FAA.

FMI: www.faa.gov