Blocks of airline "poop ice" totals car, boy holds it for the cameras

[Bluebear]

Nathan Rosenblad, 13, of Leominster, holds two chunks of the icy waste.

LEOMINSTER -- A passing airplane dumped a heavy load of icy human waste on a Leominster woman's car Thursday night, minutes after she had parked it in her driveway.

Nina Gambone, 31, of 24 Albert Drive, had just arrived home from a trip to the store at around 7 p.m. when she heard what she later called "an explosion. The entire house shook."Gambone said she thought the impact had been caused by a bomb-- until she saw an icy lump the size of a beach ball in her car. "I'm not touching the poop ice again," said Gambone's son, 13-year-old Nathan Rosenblad.

Leominster Police Lt. Raymond Booth spoke with Federal Aviation Administration officials, who confirmed the "bomb" was of the bathroom variety. "They said they were 99 percent sure, without looking at it, that that's what it was," Booth said.

Gambone said her 1993 Toyota Corolla is probably totaled. The roof is bowed inward and the windshield is smashed....

An FAA representative called Gambone and cautioned her not to touch the ice, which is most likely human waste. "They said don't touch it, it's very likely waste. She said if you have come in contact with it, wash your hands," said Michael Pinder, who lives at the house. Gambone's son Nathan had already picked up the ice, using his sweatshirt to shield his hands. "I've got to clean my sweatshirt now," he said after hearing the advice from the FAA.

http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/ci_2540125

[jody]

1. Car destroyed by "Icy BM" n/t

[Bluebear]

2. Does his shirt say "MATCOM"?

[mark414]

7. not to spoil the fun...

it says volcom...a bike company

[Bluebear]

17. dern it!

[havocmom]

4. *snarf* OK, that was good

:thumbsup:

[Bluebear]

5. duh I just got that!

VERY good!

[RetroLounge]

19. Okay, you owe me a new keyboard

:D

RL

[havocmom]

3. Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...

Why the hell are they allowed to just drop shit out the door over America? Wanna know one of the reasons some of us in the "great fly over' are pissed off? Cuz we keep getting pissed on!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. They aren't allowed to drop poop.

The tanks are pumped out while the aircraft is on the ground. The only time you get "poop ice" is if the plumbing has sprung a leak. They do not EVER intentionally dump the tanks while airborne; it's not even possible to do it deliberately. It's controlled from the outside -- a tough thing to do in flight.

[barb162]

10. I don't think this is allowed. A huge mistake/accident. I f they were

allowed to do this, there'd be a few thousands deaths a day

[7th_Sephiroth]

6. i hope there will be a lawsuit resulting

attempted murder, Depraved Indifference ect.

[Bluebear]

9. They need to replace her 1993 Toyota Corolla though.

Maybe a roundtrip ticket to, say, Buffalo?

[7th_Sephiroth]

11. a new car

and a push for some kind of reform cause that could easdily kill someone

[Bluebear]

12. All kidding aside

I saw the car on our local news, it was indeed smashed to smithereens. Sheer luck that no one was killed.

[7th_Sephiroth]

13. it is depraved indifference, the airline doesent care

someone will die next time, and she should file an attempted murder charge to get them to change thier ways

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. Poop.

The airline most certainly does care. As I described above, they don't, and can't, dump the sewage tanks in flight. "Poop ice" is actually pretty rare, and results from an ACCIDENTAL leak in the valve they use to pump the tanks WHILE ON THE GROUND.

[7th_Sephiroth]

15. hmmmm

odd edit: you'd think there would be a secured acess panel or something instead of an exposed valve

[trof]

22. There is a secured access panel.

But it's not water tight.
The valve is supposed to do that.

[trof]

21. Hey, valves sometime leak.

It happens.
But it would be blue, not white as in the photo.

[6000eliot]

16. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[DS1]

18. So who's the proud father?

:eyes:

[trof]

20. Why isn't it blue?

The disinfectant in the tanks is blue and so is "poop ice".
I think this is either ice that may have built up on the exterior of the aircraft (if it is from an aircraft) that dislodged at lower/warmer altitudes or ice from a leaky aircraft drinking water filler port.

Old ex-airline pilot here.

[Bluebear]

23. Evidently only domestic airlines use blue chems

and the internationals use clear/vacuum methods, I read something about that.

[trof]

24. News to me.

I've had aircraft serviced in most European capitals and a lot of the middle east. Always the blue stuff.
I quit in 1999, so it could have changed.

[Bluebear]

25. You got out just in time

It's a jungle out there. Anyhow here is a thread on the blue/white thing

http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/1933755/

[trof]

26. Thanks. Interesting website.

It was a jungle the whole time I worked.
But not as bad as now, I grant you. Glad to be gone.