Texas airport worker dies after being 'ingested' into Delta plane engine

HOUSTON: In a freak accident, an airport worker in the US State of Texas was killed after being sucked into a passenger plane engine.

The worker's death occurred at about 10.25 pm (local time) as a Delta Air Lines flight which had just arrived in San Antonio, Texas from Los Angeles was taxiing to an arrival gate with one engine running when the worker was killed on Friday.

The employee, who has not been named, was "ingested" into an engine at San Antonio International Airport in Texas on Friday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.

The NTSB said in a statement that they are "in contact" with the Atlanta-based airline which is "in the information gathering process".

Delta Air Lines said it was "heartbroken" over the incident and the loss of a member of its "aviation family".

"Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time," it said.

The airport worker was employed by Unifi Aviation, a company which several airlines contract to assist with ground handling operations.

The company said in a statement to local media outlet KENS5 that it 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," it said.

"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," it added.

San Antonio firefighters and police officers were the first to respond to the worker's death late on Friday. The NTSB has since joined the investigation and could release a preliminary report with more details in the coming days.

A similar incident occurred late last year in Alabama when an airport worker was pulled into a plane engine.

On Wednesday, regional airline Piedmont was fined USD 15,625 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for the death of a ground crew worker in the Alabama incident.

"Proper training and enforcement of safety procedures could have prevented this tragedy," said OSHA Area Director Jose A Gonzalez in Mobile, Alabama.

"This incident is a tragic reminder that safety measures must be in place even for a routine assignment," Gonzalez said in a statement.

A subsidiary of American Airlines, Piedmont Airlines Inc. is based in Salisbury, Maryland.