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Students turned propeller to move oil in engine, police report says
School closed during probe
By Ed Runyan
VIENNA
A Poland man is in critical but stable condition after being struck in the face Wednesday by a propeller at the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
A Vienna police report released Thursday says it happened when Zachary J. Norris, 20, of Lee Lynn Court and another student turned the propeller to move the oil in an engine they were training on, and the motor started up momentarily.
The motor was on a stand in the PIA hangar, not in an aircraft, Vienna police Chief Bob Ludt told reporters Wednesday afternoon.
Norris suffered a severe injury to his face and remains at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.
The other student, Cody W. Keller, 28, of Wildwood Avenue in New Castle, Pa., suffered apparent broken bones in his hand from being struck by the propeller. He also was treated at St. Elizabeth but was released, Vienna police said.
When police arrived at the school, they found Norris unconscious and several people around him providing medical aid.
The school closed Wednesday after the 10:49 a.m. accident and remained closed Thursday to help facilitate an investigation into the cause of the accident, PIA President and CEO Suzanne Markle said in a news release.
“PIA is committed to a safe learning environment for all students and staff. Today’s incident reinforces the crucial importance of this mission,” Markle said in the release.
“We will be conducting a full investigation into what happened and will be cooperating fully with all appropriate authorities.” The school’s closure was “in order that these activities may continue without interruption or delay,” Markle said.
She added, “The students involved and their families are in our hearts as we wait for more information to become available.”
A person called The Vindicator on Thursday concerned about whether a proper investigation could be carried out by a local police department and the school.
Ludt told reporters he contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies Wednesday to determine whether anyone outside of the Vienna Police Department should be alerted for investigative purposes. He said the FAA advised him the issue would not be addressed by the federal agency because the accident did not involve an aircraft.
Tony Molinaro, FAA spokesman for the Great Lakes region, also told The Vindicator the FAA would not investigate because it involved only a motor, despite it having a propeller attached. But he said he would look further into whether the agency’s Flight Standards Service might have jurisdiction.
The Flight Standards Service has an aircraft-maintenance division that “ensures the airworthiness of civil aircraft” and develops and standardizes regulations regarding maintenance activities, including mechanics and aviation-maintenance technical schools and repair stations, the FAA website says.
Spokesman Scott Allen of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said OSHA would not be involved in an investigation at an aviation mechanics school because it handles matters involving employers and employees, not students.