Clipboard sucked into plane engine: Australia watchdog
27 Feb 2018 9:25 PM IST
Sydney: A clipboard left behind during pre-flight checks was sucked into the jet engine of an international passenger plane, Australian safety regulators said on Tuesday.
Ground staff put the bundle of paperwork on the engine cowling after loading luggage -- but seemingly forgot to pick it up again. A worker conducting final safety checks spotted the misplaced documents, but assumed they would be retrieved before take-off.
When the engines were started, they swallowed the clipboard, spraying bits of paper all over the tarmac as the aircraft began taxiing into position. However, no-one told the flight crew until the Sydney-bound plane was in the air, forcing the pilot to return to Auckland. "The engine was inspected by engineers and paper was found throughout the engine. They also found... a piece of sheared metal," ATSB said in a report. Qantas-owned Jetstar, which was operating the October 27 flight last year, has since updated its procedures to include warnings about not placing items in the engine cowling, the ATSB said.
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