Airport worker dies after being sucked into plane engine
A worker at San Antonio International Airport, Texas has died after they were sucked into the engine of a plane on Friday (23 June).
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that a member of the ground crew at the airport had died after they were 'ingested' by the engine of a plane.
The airport worker went into the engine of a Delta Airlines jet, which had arrived in Texas from Los Angeles, and only had one engine running at the time of the incident.
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It had been in the process of taxiing to a gate when the as yet unidentified airport worker was killed.
The NTSB said they'd been 'in contact with Delta' and that the airline was 'in the information gathering process at this point'.
Emergency services responded to the death at the airport at around 10:25pm local time on the Friday night, causing flights at San Antonio to be delayed as a consequence.
The airport worker had been employed by Unifi Aviation, a company which a number of airlines contract to assist with ground handling, and they gave a statement on the death to KENS5.
They said: "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."
Delta said they were 'heartbroken and grieving the loss' of the ground crew member in a statement where they also offered 'full support' to the loved ones of the deceased.
"An accident occurred on the ground at San Antonio International Airport tonight that resulted in the fatality of an airline ground crew member," airport officials said in a statement.
"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 investigation into what happened at the airport that resulted in a tragic loss of life is ongoing.
Joe Harker