Taking Photos Near Active Aircraft Leads to Fatal Injury

A woman was killed on October 26 after unknowingly backing into a spinning propeller. The accident occurred shortly after 2:30 pm at Cook Airfield (K50) in Sedgwick County, Kansas.

Sedgwick County EMS were dispatched to the airport’s Air Capital Drop Zone at approximately 2:40 pm. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive woman in critical condition. She was immediately transported to a local hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Authorities from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office reported that the woman was taking photos of others boarding and exiting other aircraft at the time. She then proceeded to walk backwards into an aircraft’s propeller.

The accident is now under investigation with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. Further details have not yet been released.

This serves as a tragic, yet powerful reminder of how important it is to remain aware while on the ramp. While several protocols are in place to prevent this kind of incident from occurring, they are not always enough.

One safety measure that all general aviation pilots are likely familiar with is yelling out the door or window and clearing the area before turning the key. Passengers and students are also typically briefed on staying clear of active aircraft. However, as much of a “duh” mindset as it might feel to experienced pilots, many non-aviators are unaware of the true danger they are in when they get too close to a spinning propeller… and accidents happen far too often to ignore.

In 2011, influencer and model Lauren Scruggs hit an active propeller after deboarding. She lost a hand and an eye, but survived. Flight instructor Kenneth Allen was also struck by a propeller in 2020 while doing groundwork and suffered extensive injuries. Both of these situations ended without fatality, but that is not always the case.

Late last year, a US air force civilian contractor became disoriented and inadvertently stumbled into an MQ-9A’s rotating propeller. She sustained fatal injuries, and investigators later determined that the causes were improper communication between the contractors and ground personnel as well as rushed tests due to prior delays.

FMI: www.sedgwickcounty.org