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Emergency crews were called to San Antonio International Airport Friday night, after an unidentified airport worker was “ingested” by the engine of a Jet owned by Delta. There wasn’t much they could do.
Ground crew worker ‘ingested’
Tragic reports are emerging from San Antonio, Texas, where a ground crew worker got sucked through a jet engine. The incident happened just before 10:30 p.m., Friday night, June 23.
The plane arriving from Los Angeles had just landed and apparently still had one engine running. There aren’t many details available at this time.
What we do know comes from the National Transportation Safety Board. They issued a statement noting that “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.” That pretty much sums it up.
BREAKING: The San Antonio International Airport has confirmed that an airline crew member has lost his life on the tarmac following a tragic accident. pic.twitter.com/QUlawnEMzm
— SkyNewsSA (@SkyNewsSA) June 24, 2023
“An investigation into the worker’s death is ongoing.” You can expect the full report to take a while but they’ll probably put out an interim report as soon as they have some solid facts.
Ground crew safety is an urgent priority to all the airlines. They hammer safety rules incessantly and punish any worker of any rank or seniority for the slightest infractions, just to prove the point. It’s not clear what went wrong Friday night.
“The NTSB has been in contact with Delta. They are in the information gathering process at this point,” the agency adds.
Unifi Aviation
The deceased worker was employed by Unifi Aviation, described in reports as “a company that contracts workers to airlines like Delta that provides ground handling operations.”
The company released a statement on Saturday assuring that they are “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,” the company writes, “and we remain focused on supporting our employees on the ground and ensuring they are being taken care of during this time.”
Airport worker killed after being ingested into a Delta Air Lines A319 engine at San Antonio International Airport. pic.twitter.com/rAFpOzDLWy
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 25, 2023
They also note that they have no idea what the suddenly killed worker did wrong. Their “initial investigation could not link the death to any of the operational safety procedures the company has in place.” They’ll keep looking until they figure it out though.
Delta Airlines also issued a statement regarding their contract worker and their unfortunate demise. “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.”
A similar incident happened in Alabama on New Year’s Eve. That’s when “airport worker Courtney Edwards was fatally sucked into the engine of an American Airlines regional carrier flight at Montgomery Regional Airport.“
