Well this is gruesome. Dr Alastair Kenneth Senior had built the hovercraft from scratch, and was test driving it in front of his family on Muriwai beach in Auckland. Police say a design defect caused one of the rear propeller blades to come free, strike him in the back of the head, and all but decapitate him. Damn.
Police believe that Dr Kenneth may have been using an online design for reference. Tragically, it appears that his biggest mistake was to not cover the props with a protective guard — a feature that DIY hovercraft kit companies insist you include. “I guess it’s the old Kiwi ingenuity,” Sergeant Colin Nuttall said. [TV One NZ]
Image above from “For Sale: Military Assault Hovercraft, Weapons Included“
TSH
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 3:52 PMThat’s no way to get ahead!
but srsly, I feel for the family – that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. I guess at least he didn’t just get hit by a bus or die in his sleep – a more spectactular death than most would get!
Anti
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 4:10 PMDoesn’t anyone else have a problem with the way the phrase “all but” is used? Not just here. Wouldn’t “all but” mean “everything but”, so if (in this case) he was all but decapitated, the one thing he was NOT was decapitated?
Grim
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 5:28 PMI read it as the head was not quite detached, but close enough as makes no difference
Anti
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 7:58 PMIt’s not just here, though. I’ve seen it elsewhere. For some reason, “all but” has come to mean the exact opposite of what the words suggest it means.
Max
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 7:57 PMNo, it’s just you. “All but (blank)” means as close as you can possibly be to (blank) without actually being (blank).
huu
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 9:58 PMSeem both are right.
all but something
1. everyone or everything except those mentioned All but the weakest plants survived the hot weather.
2. almost In some places, bus service has all but disappeared.
Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms Copyright ©
Scott ('s word of the day is mandibles)
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 10:52 PM“all but decapitated”
Now that you have brought it to my attention my mind is stuck on an image of his bum being decapitated. Is it just me?
Jokes aside this is very sad and I wish his family and friends as little grief as is possible.
Matt
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 4:27 PMMan that’s depressing. My condolences to his family especially.
002_CCCP
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 4:58 PM“I guess it’s the old Kiwi ingenuity”
/cue canned laughter
/roll credits
Mike Hunt
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 5:28 PMAh Kiwi’s. So stupid, but yet so funny.
Stephen
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 5:35 PM“All but” presumably means that there’s a bit of skin and flesh still attached. Presumably you’re not going to call it “all but decapitated” if there’s still bone holding on, as that would be deceptive. Especially since he was hit from the back of the head (presumably this in fact should refer to the neck?).
Captain Crunch
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 7:16 PMSounds like a scene out of a bad teenage horror flick. Incredible!
♣TadMod♣
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 8:35 PMThat’s horrible!
It seems like a contender for a Darwin, but it’s still tragic…
Puketai
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 5:33 AMHe was not decapitated. He was an amazing man who was loved by everyone who knew him and was the most devoted father to his three beautiful kids. He will be so sorely missed and the world has most definately lost one of its most beautiful people… RIP
WTF
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 7:57 AMThe original article states that he was hit in the back of the head, not neck. “All but” is fine.