A stunned mum-of-two was not a happy camper when a shard of frozen human waste destroyed her £5,000 caravan – after it fell to earth from a passing plane.
The huge “brown and yellow” icicle – probably from the jumbo jet’s toilets – smashed into the static vehicle owned by restaurant owner Caroline Guy.
Caroline, 52, was woken up by the sound of an “explosion” at 7am on Saturday and initially thought she was being burgled.
She investigated in her home but couldn’t find anything suspicious until 3pm the same day when she went to clean her static caravan which is on her land.
Mum-of-two Caroline was stunned after finding an 18 inch hole in the roof – and another exactly the same size through the floor.
There was smashed ice all over the inside of the caravan and a massive lump on the ground underneath – which she has now kept in her freezer.
The frozen block of ice had fallen from the sky and smashed through the caravan above the bathroom – ripping the lights off the ceiling and a mirror off the wall.
Caroline, of Pattingham, Staffs., was in the process of trying to sell the caravan for #5,000 – but says it is now worthless.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority has admitted the ice was probably the result of a “leak” from a plane – and possibly from the lavatories.
Caroline said: “It is just a miracle that neither myself or my children were in there when it came crashing down – it could have killed someone.
“I heard a loud bang at 7am and thought someone was kicking the front door in but when I went downstairs there was nothing.
“It was only later in the day when I went to the caravan and found what had happened. It is unbelievable.
“The block of ice must have been 18 inches in size as that’s the size of the hole. There is another hole the same size in the floor.
“There was brown and yellow ice all over the place.
“It had been six or seven hours and it still hadn’t all melted – it must have been massive.
“It ripped the lights off the ceiling and a mirror, which was screwed to the wall, was ripped clean off. I have never seen anything like it.
“The caravan is a complete write off. I’ve checked with the Civil Aviation Authority and they say no-one is liable. But someone should be – I could have died.”
Caroline lived in the 32ft by 12ft caravan for two years while she had a barn converted on her land and moved out in November.
She lives on a flight path 40 miles from Birmingham Airport and thinks the ice fell from one of the many planes which regularly fly over her home.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said the ice was probably the result of a leak on the plane – and such falling blocks do happen “now and then”.
He said: “What happens is there is some sort of leak on the plane and a body of water builds up on the outside.
“When the plane is at height it freezes and then when the plane starts to descend it heats up and starts to thaw and falls off.
“The source of the leaks are one of three – the toilet facilities, the air conditioning or running water.
“These incidents are very rare but they do happen now and then.”
The spokesman said the CAA would be checking with flight companies to see which service was flying overhead at the time so maintenance checks can be carried out.
He also suggested Caroline check with her insurance company to see if she is covered against the damage.
Over the past 40 years there have been five recorded cases of people being hit by ‘waste’ ice from plane toilets.
In 2009, Bristol pensioner David Gammon, 76, was left painfully bruised when a lump of ice the size of a grapefruit landed in his lap as he sat in his garden.
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