He didn t make it. He was killed instantly when he walked into a spinning prop. The force was so intense it pulverized every part of his body that had touched the prop, and the shrapnel from the impact damaged a nearby F-14. This is the kind of tragedy we try to prevent by using safety chains around props and by always respecting their prop arcs. Everyone who works on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier today needs to be reminded about the ever-present hazard of props, especially at night, when they are all but invisible.
History shows that safety chains have been very helpful in preventing prop mishaps.
The area is off limits to everyone. A stern maintainer will stop anyone who tries to walk through a safety chain. As the aircraft taxis on the flight deck, the final checkers walk abeam the props as an additional guard. They are more insidious, because people get accustomed to darting through them. This action begins a mental process of acceptance that leads to an unsafe mind set.