T Gates, at the International Terminal, ATL Airport, sometime in the early 1990s. It is late, the second shift ends at 2300, and we button up this hydraulic access panel. The crew is tired and ready to call it a night. Everyone is careful where they step; Skydrol is slippery, and the stuff is everywhere. This Lockheed L-1011 TriStar will finish her stay with us and fly back across the Atlantic Ocean in the morning.
The first thing we heard was the thrust of the engines spooling up rapidly. Making a left up the ramp requires a little oomph to get over a hump in the ramp. Next, debris littered the area as the jet exhaust spewed everything not nailed down our way. This jet blast included all the spilled Skydrol fluid that had puddled under our aircraft. Skydrol stings when it gets all over you. In the dark. When you thought it was quitting time. It stings badly.
