Fri, Dec 29, 2006
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.
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