Ground Crew Worker Killed After Getting Ingested by a Jet Engine

A ground crew worker in Texas died after getting ingested by a plane’s jet engine on Friday night.

The San Antonio International Airport ground crew worker was ingested by Delta Air Lines Airbus A319’s engine. The Delta flight just arrived from Los Angeles at 10:19 PM. Shortly after at 10:25 PM, emergency responders were at the scene according to KENS5. In a statement by the NTSB, the plane only has one engine running when the incident happened.

The Transportation Board also said that “The NTSB has been in contact with Delta. They are in the information gathering process at this point.”

Ongoing Investigation

The ground crew worker was employed by Unifi Aviation, which is a company that has a contract with different airlines including Delta. According to Delta, it fully supports the ongoing investigation.

However, the company won’t be sharing additional details regarding the incident out of respect for the deceased. At this point, it’s up to the NTSB to investigate what took place.

In a released statement by Unifi Aviation via KENS5, “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.” The company added, “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.”

Delta, on the other hand, said that it is “heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life.”

Sucked Into the Engine

A few months ago, a similar incident happened at the Montgomery Regional Airport. Courtney Edwards, a mother of three, was sucked by an American Airlines regional carrier’s engine on New Year’s Day.

After an investigation, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration found Piedmont Airlines, the subsidiary of American Airlines, responsible for the safety breech that resulted in the death of Courtney Edwards. Piedmont Airlines received a $15,625 fine for the incident.