US: Airport worker dies after being sucked into plane engine; investigation underway

An airport worker in the US died a gruesome death after being sucked into the engine of a passenger plane. Talking to the press, US regulators on Sunday said they were investigating the incident In Texas.

What happened?

A Delta flight was taxiing to the gate after landing in San Antonio, Texas, with one engine on when the "worker was ingested into that engine," said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a statement.

"The NTSB is continuing to gather information about the event," it added.

Citing an anonymous source, The Guardian reports that it appeared that the worker "intentionally stepped in front of the live engine". The report further added that this angle is also being investigated by the police.

The tragic incident happened on Friday (June 23) at around 10:25 pm local time.

Worker's identity yet to be released

As per local media reports, the deceased worker — whose identity is yet to be released to the public — was employed by Unifi Aviation, a company which the airline giant Delta contracts for ground crew operations.

"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," said Unifi.

The statement added that "Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be sharing any additional information" at this time.

Speaking to San Antonio broadcaster KENS 5, Delta said that the company was "deeply saddened" by Friday night's events. It also said that it was "cooperating with authorities as they begin their investigation."

Unifi Aviation told the broadcaster the incident was "a tragic accident."

"From our initial investigation, this incident was unrelated to Unifi's operational processes, safety procedures and policies," the company said.

Last year, a ground worker was killed in a similar incident. On Wednesday, regional carrier Piedmont Airlines — a subsidiary of carrier American Airlines — was fined $15,625 by the regulatory body, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),for the death.

"Proper training and enforcement of safety procedures could have prevented this tragedy," said an OSHA official, as reported by AFP.

(With inputs from agencies)

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