Accidents Involving Passengers Sucked into Airplane Engines at Airports Result in Fatalities

Accident Occurs at San Antonio International Airport, Texas
Similar Incident Happened in Maryland Last January
Authorities "Investigating Exact Cause of Accident"

An airport ground worker was sucked into a passenger plane engine and died in Texas, USA.

According to AFP, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on the 25th that such an accident occurred on the night of the 23rd (local time) at San Antonio International Airport in Texas.

The accident happened immediately after a Delta Air Lines passenger plane, departing from Los Angeles, landed at San Antonio International Airport. While the plane was moving slowly toward the boarding gate with one engine running, an airport ground worker on the runway was sucked into the engine.

Photo by Pixabay [Image source=Pixabay]

The victim was employed by Unify Aviation, North America's largest airport ground staffing agency, and was indirectly employed by Delta Air Lines. The NTSB is currently investigating the exact cause of the accident.

Delta Air Lines expressed "deep sorrow" and stated that it is "actively cooperating with the authorities' investigation." The staffing agency Unify Aviation said, "We are saddened by this tragic accident," but emphasized that "it is unrelated to our operations and safety regulations."

Photo by Pixabay [Image source=Pixabay]

Earlier, Piedmont Airlines, a regional airline in Maryland, experienced a similar accident in January, resulting in the death of one employee. On the 21st, the company was fined $15,625 (approximately 20 million KRW) by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

At that time, the employee was working near an aircraft parked in the airport ramp area when they were sucked into an operating engine. The deceased employee was known to be a baggage handler. After the accident, airport operations were suspended for several hours. Arrival and departure flights were controlled for over four hours.

OSHA stated when imposing the fine that "the tragedy could have been prevented if thorough safety training had been implemented."

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