On Sunday, October 16, a sophomore at Georgia Southern University in Atlanta rented a single-engine Cessna plane, piloted by two of his friends, for a dinner date in Savannah with a female companion.
They flew out of Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport in southeast Georgia.
What started as an enjoyable evening went terribly wrong. Upon return to the airport, Sani Aliyu, 21, and his friends disembarked from the plane. His female companion went to the area behind the plane. Aliyu accidentally walked in front of the plane and was hit by the swing airplane propeller.
Aliyu was hit in the head by the propeller and was killed on the spot. The shocking accident happened a little after the plane landed safely at about 10:30 pm.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident, according to FAA spokesman Steve Kulm.
Sani Aliyu was a resident of Atlanta majoring in business management at the college. He was originally from Nigeria.
Dr. Aileen Dowell, Georgia Southern University’s Dean of Students expressed her sympathies to the college community and the student’s family.
“I have already been in touch with his family and professors, and we have mobilized all available resources to provide counseling and any other assistance the university can give,” she announced.