In a tragic incident in San Antonio, Texas, a worker lost their life after being pulled into the engine of a Delta Air Lines jet. The event, which occurred late on Friday, has left authorities and aviation officials investigating the circumstances surrounding the worker’s death. While the cause is yet to be officially determined, preliminary information suggests it may have been a deliberate act…
Flying can be full of unexpected incidents. From a man urinating all over business class to a disgusting sock-stuffed seat, from a woman being publicly weighed in the airport to a hostess being beaten with an in-flight phone, the possibilities are endless. Few, however, are anywhere near as tragic as an incident that unfolded at a Texan airport last week, when a worker lost their life at the hands of a Delta plane’s jet engine.
Disaster struck late on Friday night at San Antonio International Airport when a worker was tragically sucked into the engine of a Delta plane. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the incident took place at approximately 10:25 pm as the aircraft, having just arrived from Los Angeles, was taxiing towards its allotted arrival gate. The identity of the worker has not been publicly released at the time of publishing.
According to an anonymous source close to the case, it appears that the worker — who was an employee of Unifi Aviation, the company responsible for handling Delta and a number of other airlines’ ground operations — intentionally stepped in front of the live engine. However, an official cause of death is yet to be determined and authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into exactly how the event unfolded.
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In a statement to local news outlet KENS, Unifi Aviation expressed “deep sadness” over the loss of their employee. Thankfully for them, initial investigations have found no indication that the worker’s death was linked to their operational processes, safety procedures, or policies. Though the statement had little else to offer by way of details, they did offer sincere condolences to the family of their employee:
“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… Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be sharing any additional information at this time.”
Unifi representative
A preliminary report is expected to be released by the NTSB in the coming days, hopefully shedding more light on the incident, which bears striking similarities to a previous case in Montgomery, Alabama. On December 31st last year, airport worker Courtney Edwards lost her life after walking in front of a jet engine during its cooldown period.
Investigations into this previous case found that the mother of three had been repeatedly warned about the dangers of jet engines but had ignored them, either out of forgetfulness or a wilful disregard. Despite this, a subsequent Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) investigation resulted in the jet’s operator, Piedmont, being fined $15,000 USD – a shockingly small figure, under the circumstances. The same administrative body will ultimately play the largest role in establishing accountability for the incident in San Antonio.