EVERETT — A Boeing employee suffered serious injuries Monday after getting caught in the wing flap of a 747 that was parked outside the Everett factory at Paine Field. Firefighters said the worker was seriously injured in the 7:30 p.m. accident.
The Everett Fire Department said they responded after Boeing fire crews rescued the man, who was trapped between the spoiler and the flap assembly on an aircraft wing.
Spoilers, on the top of the wings, are used in flight for roll control and to slow the plane for landing. Flaps are extended downward from the trailing edge of the wings to increase lift at slower speeds for landing. Herald news partner KIRO-TV captured aerial video from Chopper 7 that showed the flaps and spoilers extended on the airplane.
Sources said the plane was being prepared for Air Bridge Cargo Airlines, a freight carrier in Russia.
Paramedics transported the man to Providence Hospital in Everett. On Tuesday, he was reported in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Boeing said it is making the Employee Assistance Program available for employees who witnessed what happened and need support and said staff have been in contact with the victim’s family.
“An investigation in under way to look into the cause of this accident,” said Boeing spokesman Jim Proulx. Meantime, “We will not speculate on the cause, circumstances or activities surrounding this.”
In another flight-line accident Feb. 3, a Boeing worker suffered severe leg injuries when he was trapped under a 787 at Paine Field.
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