I’ve had an exciting evening. I was in my kitchen when I smelled smoke. I came running through to my study, from where I normally write my blog posts, to find a large 33-gallon plastic garbage can well ablaze, smoke rapidly making that half of the house uninhabitable. I dialled 911 straight away, and got… Continue reading A house fire, and lessons learned
Tag: Accidents
An interesting high-wire act
Durach, Germany, saw an interesting high-wire act yesterday when a light aircraft tried to land at the airfield there. This is the heart-stopping moment emergency crews freed a light plane caught in high-voltage wires. The electricity had to be switched off as the plane hung more than 100ft in the air. Waiting to be rescued,… Continue reading An interesting high-wire act
In honor of the Olympics – Sporting Mishaps 4
This clip demonstrates (repeatedly, and painfully) the importance of keeping your eye on the ball. Peter
Life happens . . . no matter what you do
I was saddened to read of a freak rail tragedy in the Czech Republic today. An express train crashed today into a Czech road bridge that collapsed during construction seconds before the train’s passage, killing seven people and injuring dozens, rescue services said. The freak nature of the accident was underlined when rail investigators later… Continue reading Life happens . . . no matter what you do
In honor of the Olympics – Sporting Mishaps #3
This clip illustrates why reporters should be careful in taking up their positions. Peter
In honor of the Olympics – Sporting Mishaps #2
This should strictly speaking go with the Winter Olympics, but it’s a mishap all right, so I’ll throw it in here. French skier Yannick Bertrand shows how not to take a gate in the Super-G. Ouch! Peter
In honor of the Olympics – Sporting mishaps #1
In honor of the Olympics this month, I’ll be posting videos of sporting events that went horribly wrong. Don’t worry – they won’t involve serious injury or anything like that. They’re just to illustrate that sports can be hazardous at times. To begin, here’s Natalie Foley of the US in a non-Olympic competition, demonstrating why… Continue reading In honor of the Olympics – Sporting mishaps #1
Doofus Of The Day #53
Oh, dear. Ares reports: One of the more dangerous phenomena in aviation is an F-16 pilot whose marksmanship is better than his situational awareness. Two soldiers discovered this on the Utah Test and Training Range one night in April 2007. An F-16 pilot lost sight of his target while rolling into a strafing run using… Continue reading Doofus Of The Day #53
An interesting development in aviation
Aircraft have always been vulnerable to damage. Weather, bird strikes, collisions, etc. can render an aircraft unflyable, with disastrous consequences. On the (rare) occasions when an aircraft sustains crippling damage and is nevertheless nursed back to the ground safely, it’s an occasion for wonder, congratulations and speculation about the ‘next time’. A classic example is… Continue reading An interesting development in aviation
When concern for the environment brings unexpected dangers
I was intrigued to read about an unexpected side-effect of environmental consciousness. Flight reports: US and European regulators are recommending that carriers inspect the carbon brakes of aircraft after finding that modern runway de-icing fluids, containing organic salts, can damage the carbon components and potentially lead to brake failure. The US FAA is planning to… Continue reading When concern for the environment brings unexpected dangers