NORFOLK, VA, USA
N87BP
Beech B200
A passenger tripped and fell as she was disembarking from the airplane. She landed on her elbow which resulted in fractures above and below the joint. The passenger stated her shoe got caught on the airstair door and she fell. The shoe was checked on the airplane by the FAA who was unable to duplicate any form of catching as described the injured passenger. A witness reported the passenger was carrying a coat over her arm and tripped on the coat.
On October 28, 1997, about 1707 eastern standard time, a passenger was seriously injured at Norfolk International Airport, Norfolk, Virginia (ORF), while deplaning from a Beech B200, N87BP, operated by Martinair Inc., of Richmond, Virginia (ROC). The certificated airline transport captain, commercial rated first officer, and seven passengers were not injured. The airplane was not damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the on-demand charter flight which originated from Richmond, about 1640. The flight had been operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan under 14 CFR Part 135. In the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot stated: "...second passenger to disembark tripped on the overcoat she was carrying and fell to the pavement. Due to the velocity of her fall I was unable to stop her from hitting the pavement. It was daylight, dry, and no foreign objects were on the aircraft steps." In a follow-up telephone interview, the captain reported that after the flight arrived at the disembarkation ramp at Norfolk, both engines were shut down. He then deplaned to assist the passengers, while the first officer remained in the cockpit. During the deplaning, other airplanes were close-by on the ramp with engines operating. The captain had positioned himself near the bottom of the stairs to direct the passengers. The first passenger deplaned and started to walk near another airplane with operating engines. The captain diverted his attention to the passenger, and when he looked back, a second passenger was deplaning. The passenger, who had a 3/4 length coat draped over one of her arms and was wearing high heel shoes, tripped and fell toward the ground. The captain reached for the passenger, and caught her as she hit the ground on her right arm. She was taken to a hospital where it was determined that she had received multiple fractures of the right arm both above and below the elbow. In a follow-up telephone interview, the passenger reported that her left shoe got stuck on the stair. She lost her balance and started to fall forward and reached for a hand rail. She missed the hand rail and continued to fall forward. She landed on her right elbow. She was wearing shoes with a 2 to 3 inch heel, similar to a spike. She said she felt it catch on a step. When asked if she had tripped on her coat, she said she had not. According to a report from an inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): "...I took the high heel shoe belonging to...[the injured passenger] and tried to make it fit into the hinged part of the step on King Air N87BP. The back of the step slants backwards and the rounded back of the heel prevents the bottom tip of the shoe from reaching that part. I was unable to fit the shoe into the hinged part on any step. " "I also tried to with my own shoes which are several sizes smaller than...[the injured passenger's] and could not get my heel into the back part of the step. I was unable to duplicate in any way, getting my heel stuck in the hinge of the step."
The passenger tripped for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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