A Texas airport worker has been killed after being sucked into the jet engine of a Delta Air Lines plane at San Antonio International Airport.
The plane had arrived in the Texas city from Los Angeles on Friday night and had one engine running when the worker was “ingested”, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The incident happened at around 10.25pm as the plane was taxiing to the gate, officials said.
The victim worked for Unifi Aviation, a contractor which Delta and other airlines use for ground handling operations.
Delta said that it was fully cooperating with an investigation into the death of the worker, who has not been identified.
“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,” Unifi told 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.
“From our initial investigation, this incident was unrelated to Unifi’s operational processes, safety procedures and policies,” the statement continued.
“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.”
Airport officials said they were “deeply saddened” by the incident and are also cooperating with authorities.
In December 2022, airport worker Courtney Edwards died in Montgomery, Alabama in a similar incident.
Investigators say she and her colleagues had been warned about the dangers of going near a jet that had landed and been left to cool down. Edwards, a mother of three, was killed when she walked in front of one of the plane’s engines.
The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration issued a fine of more than $15,000 for Piedmont, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
