Posted on 06/08/2005 6:57:06 AM PDT by linkinpunk
Man's Leg Falls Out Of Plane And Lands In N.Y. Backyard
June 8, 2005
NEW YORK -- The body of an apparent stowaway was ripped in half during flight Tuesday and his leg crashed into a suburban neighborhood, where a homeowner found the severed limb in the middle of her lawn, authorities said.
Pam Hearne heard "a loud crash" and later was stunned to see a foot clad in an Adidas sneaker and a sock in her yard, said Officer Thomas Blanchard. The leg, with hip and spine attached, dented the shingled roof of her garage before bouncing into the lawn.
Police suspect the remains are from a stowaway who may have been crushed as the South African Airways jet lowered its landing gear on its approach to Kennedy Airport.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters said the pilot of flight 203 would have probably started lowering the plane's landing gear in the sky over the home in Floral Park, about 5 miles from the airport.
Peters said a Customs agent that met the flight at the airport found another leg hanging from the wheel well.
The airline said in a statement that the flight landed with "no impact" on the passengers and crew and it was working closely with authorities to investigate how someone may have stowed away.
The flight originated in Johannesburg, and made one stop in Senegal. Authorities had not identified the remains, which were hauled away from Hearne's yard in a plastic bag.
Hearne, a special education teacher, said that when she first saw the leg in the grass, "it didn't look real."
"But I am very glad that I live where I do," she said, "so I don't have to run for my life like this man probably was doing."
There have been cases of stowaways being crushed by the mechanism in aircraft wheel wells and perishing from the extreme cold at high altitude.
So true...God Bless America and this poor soul.
That's one illegal immigrant we don't have to worry about.
Fire up the barbie! Some tenderized flank from heaven!
I hope he's O.K.
It looks like a leg.
What is not being reported here is - With heighten security at the airports how are people till able to approach an airplane and stowaway?
"The leg, with hip and spine attached, dented the shingled roof of her garage before bouncing into the lawn.
Legs falling out of the sky are no big deal, but I definitely take notice when there is a hip & spine attached."
Actually, I had the same thought. A leg I can handle. Spines are nasty (seen them and don't want to see them again.)
Imagine telling this to your insurance company. "I need a new roof because . . . . "
And who cleaned this up? AIDS anyone?
Poor fella took "voting with your feet" to the extreme.
There are specialty companies for this type of purpose, seriously.
Ouch!! South Africa having a bad week. One guy swallowed whole by a shark, now this.
"There are specialty companies for this type of purpose, seriously."
I suppose there would have to be. I actually knew a lady whose job it was to clean up after dead bodies that had been left there for a couple of weeks --- generally shut-ins, but you'd be amazed at the mess a person makes dead on the couch for a weekend sitting in front of the TV (worked as a landlord --- guy was dead on Friday and sat there until Monday PM when people at his work started calling asking where he was.). UGGG.
I don't know how anybody could do that job.
The sad thing is that he probably bribed someone in the ground crew to let him stow away.
I guess you'd kneed to see this to believe it. Now if the home owner could just find another shoe at a "half off" sale she'd be set with a comple pair.
'Please allow the plane to come to a complete stop before exiting!'
Yep, I saw a special on A&E or Discovery about a guy who runs a company that "cleans up" after crime scenes and deaths.
They had one instance where an old lady who lived alone died in her house of natural causes and they didn't discover the body until several days later (in the Summer in New Orleans w/o AC to boot) and they had to go in remove the remains and clean the house. Icky.
With his spine pulled out of his body, I am sure he isn't feeling a thing.
I saw a similar show where they cleaned up after all kinds of crime scenes and hotel depravity. I think it was Las Vegas or Los Angeles. Icky is only a start at describing it
Just as long as he's not suffering.
Unnngh..!
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