26 June 2023
(NEXSTAR) – Federal officials have confirmed they will not launch an investigation after a ground crew member was “ingested” into a plane’s engine in San Antonio, Texas last week based on the medical examiner’s determination that the worker’s death was a suicide.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner identified the worker as a 27-year-old man and ruled his cause of death as blunt and sharp force injuries, according to local reports. They also determined his manner of death as suicide.
Following the determination, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said the agency would not be investigating the incident, noting “there were no operational safety issues with either the airplane or the airport.”
The incident happened after a Delta flight from Los Angeles arrived at San Antonio International Airport late Friday night. The plane was taxiing to its gate with one engine on, the NTSB told Nexstar Sunday.
As the plane was taxiing, “a worker was ingested into that engine,” NTSB explained.
The worker was employed by Unifi Aviation. In a statement shared with Nexstar Sunday, Unifi said an initial investigation showed “this incident was unrelated to Unifi’s operational processes, safety procedures and policies.”
A similar incident happened late last year.
A ramp agent died at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama after they were pulled into the engine of a plane that was parked at a gate. In a preliminary report released in January, the NTSB said the woman had been warned by other crew members to keep her distance.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration fined Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, over $15,000 for a “serious breach of safety” in the incident.
If you are in crisis, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline anytime at 988.