MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A baggage handler for an American Airlines regional carrier was killed in a bizarre incident Saturday after reportedly being sucked into the engine of a jet at the Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama, authorities said.
The gruesome airport tragedy occurred about 3:00 p.m. The deceased employee worked for Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines. The victim’s identity has not yet been released to the public. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, according to AL.com.
“We are devastated by the accident involving a team member of Piedmont Airlines, an American Airlines regional carrier, at Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM),” a spokesperson for American Airlines said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and our local team members. We are focused on ensuring that all involved have the support they need during this difficult time.”
According to Reuters, two sources briefed on the rare incident, said the employee died in “an accident involving one of the airplane’s engines that was running.”
Today around 3 pm an American Airlines ground crew piedmont employee was involved in a fatality, no additional information is available at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased.
— Montgomery Regional Airport (@iflymgm) January 1, 2023
The aircraft involved was reportedly an Embraer E175. It is a narrow-body plane designed to carry up to 124 passengers and used frequently for short- to medium-range destinations, the Daily Wire reported.
“We are saddened to hear about the tragic loss of a team member of the AA/Piedmont Airlines,” Airport Executive Director Wade Davis said.
The “worker was fatally injured on the ramp at Montgomery Regional Airport where American Airlines Flight 3408, an Embraer E175, was parked,” the FAA said in a statement to AL.com.
A preliminary report from the FAA is expected on Monday, according to the agency.
The airport resumed normal operations Saturday evening, the airport said via social media.
According to Aerocorner.com, “If the jet engine is powered up, even if idling, the engines require huge volumes of air to work. To that end, jet engines use a compressor to ‘suck’ the air through the engine. Requiring an estimated 1.2 million tons of air per second, these compressors are incredibly powerful to say the least. So much so that even if idling, the suction the engines create is powerful enough to lift an adult human and suck them into the engine.”
