Airport Worker Dead After Being 'Ingested' Into Jet Engine on Tarmac in Texas
A San Antonio International Airport ground worked was sucked into a jet engine and killed Friday night.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the worker went into the engine of a Delta Airlines jet, according to KENS-TV.
“Delta Flight 1111 was taxying to the gate, with one engine on at that time, and a worker was ingested into that engine at 10:25 p.m,” the NTSB said in a statement, according to the station.
“The NTSB has been in contact with Delta. They are in the information-gathering process at this point,” the agency said.
The name of the employee has not been released.
Airline passenger Michael Braun said the accident “caused a ripple effect with lots of rescheduling of passengers,” according to the San Antonio Express-News.
The worker was employed by Unifi Aviation, a company that contracts with Delta for ground crew operations, according to KENS.
On Saturday afternoon, the company released the following statement:
“Unifi Aviation is deeply saddened by the loss of our employee at San Antonio International Airport during a tragic incident in the late hours of Friday, June 23, 2023,” the company said in a statement, according to KENS.
“Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased, and we remain focused on supporting our employees on the ground and ensuring they are being taken care of during this time,” the statement said.
The company added that it believed it was blameless in the incident.
“From our initial investigation, this incident was unrelated to Unifi’s operational processes, safety procedures and policies. Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be sharing any additional information,” the statement said.
A statement from the airport offered few details.
“An accident occurred on the ground at San Antonio International Airport (SAT) tonight that resulted in the fatality of an airline ground crew member. We are deeply saddened by this incident and are working with authorities as they begin their investigation,” the statement said.
BREAKING: The San Antonio International Airport has confirmed that an airline crew member has lost his life on the tarmac following a tragic accident. pic.twitter.com/QUlawnEMzm
— SkyNewsSA (@SkyNewsSA) June 24, 2023
The tragedy was the second of its kind in the past six months, according to the New York Post.
On New Year’s Eve, Courtney Edwards, a ground crew member at Montgomery Regional Airport, was sucked into the engine of an American Airlines regional carrier’s jet. Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American, was later fined $15,625 in connection with the incident.
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