St. Maarten Airport Beachgoer Dies From Jet Blast

[Pacolovestacos]

http://www.tmz.com/2017/07/13/sint-maarten-st-martin-airport-jet-blast-kills-tourist-runway/

Guys, there is an image of the woman on the ground motionless. So if you don't want to see that, don't look.

I've seen plenty of Youtube videos of people doing this and I knew one day someone would die from it.

 

[robinb]

So sad. That poor woman was thrown right into the barrier head first .

 

[Pacolovestacos]

So sad. That poor woman was thrown right into the barrier head first .

The woman who was in the video survived, had some injuries but she's fine.

 

[bcla]

I was wondering how long it would take before this happened. The odd thing about this airport is that there have been no major accidents at the airport. That's even with a relatively short runway for some of the large planes that use the airport. Landing a 747 on a 7500 ft runway usually means they're trying to use as much of the runway as possible.

 

[DaisyJ]

I was wondering how long it would take before this happened. The odd thing about this airport is that there have been no major accidents at the airport. That's even with a relatively short runway for some of the large planes that use the airport. Landing a 747 on a 7500 ft runway usually means they're trying to use as much of the runway as possible.

Yep. That's the sign telling you not to do it because, duh, it could kill you.

 

[kimblebee]

This is an off topic rant..

TMZ really scrapes the bottom of the barrel now. Yes, they've never been the standard for reporting but they often report on things that should be kept private. Showing pictures of a dead person? Gross. A few days ago they posted the pictures from the hotel room where Chris Cornell hanged himself. Who needs to see that? Can you imagine being his kids and coming across those pictures? I wonder if they'd post the same pictures if it involved their family. I think we all know the answer to that.

Ok, rant over.

 

[Felicis]

The deceased is a New Zealand woman, so it is pretty big news here - including the disgust at the footage being posted of people attempting to resuscitate her. Very sad, but for goodness sake, what a ridiculously foolish thing for people to do for fun!
This is a link to a detailed report in our local paper, if you wish to read more.

 

[Colleen27]

Man, that last line makes me lose faith in human intelligence... Standing at the end of a runway getting blasted by departing jets has become "one of the most popular things to do" for people on vacation in a tropical paradise?

 

[sam_gordon]

I did it in 2016. Although it wasn't a 747 or 787, I did stand at the fence for a large plane (sorry, don't know the type). I felt a lot of windblast and had sand and grit blown in my face. Although I was hanging on to the fence, I never felt like my grip was "saving" me from being blown away.

As far as why people do it? It's a "thrill". People go hang gliding, cliff diving, jet skiing, bungee jumping, etc. All of those can be dangerous also.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

This is an off topic rant..

TMZ really scrapes the bottom of the barrel now. Yes, they've never been the standard for reporting but they often report on things that should be kept private. Showing pictures of a dead person? Gross. A few days ago they posted the pictures from the hotel room where Chris Cornell hanged himself. Who needs to see that? Can you imagine being his kids and coming across those pictures? I wonder if they'd post the same pictures if it involved their family. I think we all know the answer to that.

Ok, rant over.

I feel that way about most news sources now, especially when it comes to social media. It kills me that they post pictures of deadly accident scenes within minutes of it happening and other things like that. I always hope that the families have been notified before they post

 

[fly girl]

First, I'm in complete agreement that they don't need to show the footage of the deceased. I remember NBC showing the video of the moment the luge athlete died tragically hitting the pole in the 2010 Olympics. Right on prime time when children were watching. I was angered then (wrote to NBC about it), and continue to be bothered by it. It's gratuitous -- have respect for the families.

Second, I get people want a thrill -- but Maho beach right there is close enough. Signs are posted for a reason!

(On a side note, all I think about is how loud that must be. The ear damage alone is enough to deter me.)

 

[NFLDERS]

http://www.tmz.com/2017/07/13/sint-maarten-st-martin-airport-jet-blast-kills-tourist-runway/

Guys, there is an image of the woman on the ground motionless. So if you don't want to see that, don't look.

I've seen plenty of Youtube videos of people doing this and I knew one day someone would die from it.

Me too. We've been to St. Maarten a few times, and never once had any desire to try to see that. I was a;ways concerned about being blown into the water, and drowning while struggling to get up. The thought of some liquid spilling onto viewers below also worried me. So sad about this poor woman's death. Prayers for her family, and friends.

 

[kimmar067]

OMG, these photos are INCREDIBLE!

 

[mnrose]

She made the decision to do it. There are signs posting warning you could die. People die doing stupid things all the time. She took a risk. It didn't work out for her.

 

[kimmar067]

.....The thought of some liquid spilling onto viewers below also worried me....

....GOOD point.....EWWWWW.....

 

[DaisyJ]

She made the decision to do it. There are signs posting warning you could die. People die doing stupid things all the time. She took a risk. It didn't work out for her.

 

[sam_gordon]

The odd thing about this airport is that there have been no major accidents at the airport.

So because there has been two (only one fatal) accident, let's make a law preventing people from doing it. I know that's not what you're saying but the article said they're considering.

 

[sam_gordon]

The thought of some liquid spilling onto viewers below also worried me.

....GOOD point.....EWWWWW.....

I don't think it's a good point. For one, they're not going to intentionally dump liquids as they go over a populated area, much less as they're landing. Second, there are planes in the sky all the time. I'd say you have as much a chance of getting "liquids" dumped on you when you're walking your dog as you would at Maho beach.

 

[kimmar067]

....fair enough...

 

[robinb]

This is an off topic rant..

TMZ really scrapes the bottom of the barrel now.

TMZ not only scrapes the bottom the the barrel, but they made the barrel deeper and wider. They have always been the most sensational and salacious of any internet "news" outlet.

My take on it is this: I would definitely go to that beach and stand in back of the plane for the thrill. IN THE SAND. It looks like fun. The main danger appears to be at the airport fence where you can be blown into the barricade. Frankly, I don't know what they can do to stop the people from hanging on the airport fence without fencing the whole thing off and staffing it with people to open and close gates for traffic. I don't think that's not going to happen and they will rely on the signs as a warning. I know it was her fault for ignoring the warnings, but I can help but still be sad for her and her family.