Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 202674701 - Worker Paving Airstrip Is Struck by Airplane and Decapitated
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
316522598 | 05/10/2013 | 1799 | 238990 | Bob Britt Wells Dba Arrow Asphalt Paving |
Abstract: At approximately 4:00 p.m. on May 9, 2013, Employee #1, of Arrow Asphalt Paving, was working on a project to pave and chip seal sections of a private airstrip used by a crop dusting service in Biggs, CA. He was operating a push-type blower to remove loose gravel, dust, and debris from the asphalt as the project neared completion. Employee #1 was in the center of the runway, working alone approximately 300 feet from the end that led to the plane loading area and hangars. A pilot flying an airplane, Schweizer Aircraft Corporation Model G-164 B, approached the airstrip from the opposite end and landed. As the pilot taxied the plane toward the hangar, the plane's propeller struck Employee #1 in the head and decapitated him. This fatality was reported to Cal/OSHA's Sacramento District Office by the Butte County Sheriff's Department on May 9, 2013. The employer failed to report the event. Cal/OSHA's investigation determined that, because of the plane's design (tail dragger), there was limited pilot visibility looking forward and no visibility below the engine compartment (nose) while taxiing. Preliminary reports indicated there were no spotters. Employee #1 was not wearing a safety vest, and he may have been hearing impaired.
End Use | Project Type | Project Cost | Stories | Non-building Height | Fatality | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Highway, road, street | Maintenance or repair | Under $50,000 | X |
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation | Construction |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 316522598 | Fatality | Amputation | Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators | Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Bituminous concrete placement Fatality Cause: Other |