Worker Sucked into Jet Engine at San Antonio Airport

An airport worker is dead after being sucked into a plane engine on the tarmac at San Antonio International Airport on Friday night. 

The incident happened at 10:25 p.m. right after Delta 1111 had just landed from its flight from Los Angeles. The plane was moving slowly toward the gate and had just one engine on at the time when the unnamed worker was sucked in, News4 Antonio reported.

The San Antonio International Airport said in a statement:

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. We will share more information as details become available.

The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the incident.

The employee worked for a company called Unifi Aviation that was contracted by Delta to help support ground operations. Unifi Aviation said the incident was not caused due to safety violations.

Unifi Aviation is the largest ground-handling service in North America. In a statement the company expressed its condolences for the deceased worker, Kens5 reported.

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.

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. While police and other officials continue to investigate this incident, we defer to them on providing further details.

This is not the first person to be sucked into a plane engine this year. On New Years Eve, mom of three, Courtney Edwards, was ingested into a plane engine at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama.

Occupational Health and Safety Administration fined Piedmont Airlines after finding “it was found responsible for a safety breach that led to her death.”