A tragic incident unfolded at San Antonio International Airport Friday night, which resulted in the death of an airport worker who was sucked into a jet engine of a Delta Air Lines plane.
The plane had just completed a trip from Los Angeles, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
“Delta Flight 1111 was taxiing to the gate, with one engine on at that time, and a worker was ingested into that engine at 10:25 p.m.,” said the NTSB in a statement, according to KENS 5.
“The NTSB has been in contact with Delta. They are in the information gathering process at this point,” NTSB added.
The worker was employed by Unifi Aviation, a ground-handling support company contracted by Delta and other airlines.
Delta said it would cooperate with the investigation fully and released a statement following the incident.
“We are heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life in San Antonio. Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” said Delta, according to WSAZ 3.
San Antonio airport authorities released a statement giving their deepest regards, CBS Austin reported:
“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 incident follows a recent investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that resulted in a fine of over $15,000 for Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
The investigation concluded that the airline was responsible for the death of a ground agent who was similarly killed by getting sucked into a plane engine while working at an Alabama airport on New Year’s Eve, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The company the employee worked for, Unifi Aviation, issued a statement to KENS 5 expressing its condolences to the employee’s family:
“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. 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.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
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