An airport worker employed by Delta was killed after being sucked into an engine on the tarmac at San Antonio International Airport.
Rescuers responded to the incident around 10:25 p.m. Friday night.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the airline’s ground crew died after impacting the engine of a Delta Airlines plane. The agency described that the worker was “swallowed” by the engine.
The plane had just arrived from Los Angeles and was taxiing to a gate at the time of the accident.
Delta Flight 1111 had only one engine operating at the time the unidentified worker was sucked in and killed.
Emergency crews on the tarmac after a worker was sucked into the engine of a Delta plane in San Antonio
The plane stayed at the gate the next morning and the flights at the airport were delayed.
The death of the airline’s ground crew is under investigation by authorities.
“Delta Flight 1111 was taxiing to the gate with one engine at this time and at 10:25 p.m. a worker entered that engine,” the NTSB said in a statement.
“The NTSB was in touch with Delta. They are currently in the process of gathering information.”
The employee worked for a company that Delta Airlines has contracts with to support ground handling services.
A statement was released on Saturday, which said, “We are heartbroken and mourning the loss of the life of a member of the San Antonio aviator family.”
“Our hearts and full support are with her family, friends and loved ones at this difficult time.”
San Antonio airport officials said they were “sad” at the worker’s death.
“Tonight an accident occurred on the ground at San Antonio International Airport that killed a member of an airline’s ground crew,” it said.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident and are working with the authorities as they begin their investigation.” We will be sharing more information as details become available.’
The worker’s associate, Unifi Aviation, said the “tragic incident” had nothing to do with the company’s safety measures.
“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,” it said in a statement.
Rescuers responded to the incident around 10:25 p.m. Friday night
The death of the airline’s ground crew is under investigation by authorities
“Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased and we remain focused on supporting our local staff and ensuring they are cared for during this time.”
“Our initial investigation determined that this incident was unrelated to Unifi’s operations, security procedures and policies.
“Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be releasing any further information.” As police and other officials continue to investigate this incident, we leave it to them to provide further details.”
This is the latest ground incident at a US airport in the past year.
An American Airlines subsidiary was fined $15,000 after the death of a ground crew member who was sucked into the engine of one of its planes.
Courtney Edwards, 34, was “choked in the engine” at Montgomery, Alabama Regional Airport on New Year’s Eve.
The mother of three was on the ramp where American Airlines Flight 3408, an Embraer E175, was parked before her death.
Piedmont Airlines has been fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after being held responsible for a safety breach that resulted in her death.
Her union released a statement saying Piedmont Airlines was “guilty of a serious violation”.
An American Airlines subsidy company faces a $15,000 fine after airline worker Courtney Edwards died when she was “choked” into the engine of a landed plane so violently that the entire plane shook
Edwards worked as a ground agent for Piedmont Airlines
An obituary for Edwards mentions that she is survived by three children
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a bottleneck on the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on June 14, when a plane preparing to land was just 200 feet from another flight preparing to take off.
According to authorities, an American Airlines flight from Dallas, Texas, arrived at the airport around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, while a Delta flight bound for Santa Ana, California, was preparing to take off.
In a recording of the incident, air traffic controllers could be heard telling the pilot of American Airlines Flight 2406 to abort the landing and avoid the left runway 30, since Delta Air Lines Flight 1163, which was cleared to land, was still on the left runway was .
But after the air traffic controller told the American Airlines pilot to “circumnavigate,” the plane flew above and to the left of the Delta Airbus A220 — closing within 200 feet vertically and 850 feet horizontally of each other.
The incident marks at least the fifth time this year that two planes have narrowly missed each other at American airports — and happened just two days before a United Airlines plane reversed into a Delta flight at Boston’s Logan Airport.
has reached out to Delta Airlines for comment.