Date:         Fri, 2 Feb 1996 09:46:27 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         dabaker@nas.nasa.gov (M. David Baker)
Subject:      /f Folly for Friday



To All:

If you ever need help, get it.  The following is an extreme example:


_____________________________________________________________________




***  The following aritcle, which appeared in FAA General
***  Aviation Alerts, December 1984, was submitted by J.H.
***  Jeffers.


---------------------------------------------------------


Some of us have been guilty of tyring 
to do the jobe alone while performing
aircraft maintenance.  This has resulted
in dinged wing tips and tail fairings
while moving aircraft and strained
backs and mashed fingers while replacing
components.  Although costly, painful,
and embarrassing, they are minor
when compared to the follwing. May 
your consequences never be as severe as
this person experienced.
					Jeffers
_________________________________________________________


Dear Sirs:

  I am writing in response to your 
request for additional information.  In 
block number 3 of the accident reporting
form, I put "trying to do the job
alone" as the cause of my accident.  You
said in your letter that I should explain
more fully, and I trust that the following
details will be sufficient.

  I am a bricklayer by trade.  On the day 
of the accident, I was working alone on
the roof of a new six-story building.
When I completed my work, I discovered
that I had about 500 pounds of
brick left over.  Rather than carry the
bricks down by hand, I decided to lower
them in a barrel by using a pully which
fortunately was attached to the side of 
the building at the sixth floor.

  Securing the rope at ground level, I
went up to the roof, swung the barrel
out, and loaded the brick into it.  Then I
went back to the ground floor and 
untied, holding it tightly to 
insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds
of brick.  You will note in block number
11 of the accident reporting form that I
weigh 145 pounds.

  Due to my suprise at being jerked off
the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence
of mind and forgot to let go of the
rope.  Needless to say, I proceeded at a
rapid rate up the side of the building.

  In the vicinity of the third floor, I met
the barrel coming down.  This explains
the fractured skull and broken collarbone.

  Slowed only slightly, I continued my 
rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers
of my hand were two knuckles deep
into the pulley.  Fortunately, by this time
I had regained my presence of mind and
was able to hold tightly to the rope in
spite of my pain.

  At approximately the same time,
however, the barrel of bricks hit the 
ground, and the bottom fell out of the
barrel.  Devoid of the weight of the
bricks, the barrel now weighed approximately
50 pounds.

  I refer you again to my weight in 
block number 11.  As you might
imagine, I began a rapid descent down
the side of the building.

  In the vicinity of the third floor, I met
the barrell coming up.  This accounts for
the two fractured ankles and the lacerations
on my legs and lower body.

  The encounter with the barrel slowed
me enough to lessen my injuries when I
fell onto the pile of bricks and, fortunately,
only three vertebrae were cracked.

  I am sorry to report, however, that as
I lay there on the bricks, in pain, unable
to stand, and watching the empty barrell 
above me, I again lost my presence of 
minde -- and I let go of the rope.  The
empty barrel weighed more than the
rope so it came back down on me and
broke both my legs.

  I hope I have furnished the information
you require as to how the accident
occured.

-------------------------------------------------


Lessons learned class?

Dave







_______________________________________________________________________


David Baker					'56 Panel Van
dabaker@nas.nasa.gov				'76 Walk Thru