A 27-year-old airport ground crew worker contracted by Delta Airlines died on Friday, June 23, after being sucked into an aircraft engine.
The horrifying incident took place at approximately 10:25 pm, necessitating an immediate response from local emergency services. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) verified the death of the ground crew individual, identified as David Renner. The incident occurred as Delta Flight 1111, originating from Los Angeles, was progressing toward a gate.
The NTSB outlined that the aircraft was operating on one engine when the worker was drawn into it, killing him instantly. In the aftermath of the event, the aircraft was retained at the gate the subsequent morning, leading to operational slowdowns at the airport. Investigations are ongoing to establish the sequence of events that precipitated the accident.
The employer of the deceased, Unifi Aviation, asserted that the incident bore no relation to its safety procedures.
A medical examiner ruled Renner’s death a suicide.
This distressing event is one of several ground accidents that have unfolded at US airports in the last year. In a separate case, an American Airlines subsidiary, Piedmont Airlines, incurred a $15,625 fine following the death of a female ground crew member, Courtney Edwards, 34, who also met a similar end in Montgomery, Alabama. Meanwhile, an investigation is underway regarding a recent near-collision at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport between an American Airlines and Delta flight, where the two were dangerously close, within 200 feet of each other.