NTSB Details How Grounds Crew Worker Died After She Was Sucked Into Plane’s Running Jet Engine

MONTGOMERY Alabama — An airport ground crew worker was killed after she walked in front of a jet engine that was operating and was sucked off the ground into the engine.

The worker, whose name was not released, was part of a ground crew checking an American Eagle flight on Dec. 31 at Montgomery Regional Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board published a report of the incident on Monday.

The flight from Fort Worth, Texas, landed shortly after 3:30 p.m. Dec. 31 with 63 passengers and crew onboard.

Pilots on the flight left the engines running while waiting for ground power to be connected to the plane, according to the report. While one member of the ground crew was making that connection, others approached the plane.

The report notes that the ground crew reported it had a safety briefing about 10 minutes before the airplane arrived at the gate. A second safety “huddle” was held shortly before the airplane arrived at the gate to emphasize engines would be running until ground power was connected.

“It was also discussed that the airplane should not be approached, and the diamond of safety cones should not be set (around the plane) until the engines were off, spooled down, and the airplane’s rotating beacon light had been extinguished by the flight crew,” according to the report.

In investigating, NTSB was able to review video that captured the incident.

Ground crew workers, referred to in the report as a ramp agents, were seen approaching the airplane, although engines were still running and warning lights were on and rotating.

In interviews with NTSB, ground crew workers noted the worker who was killed was nearly blown off her feet by the engine exhaust when she walked behind the plane.

Another ground crew worker opened a forward cargo bay door to begin unloading as engines began to shut down, getting the pilot’s attention. The pilot called out his window to warn that ground crew worker that the engines were still running.

In the video, the worker who was killed is seen walking from the back of the plane toward the tip of the wing, where she disappeared from view.

“The ramp agent from the back of the airplane reappeared walking along the leading edge of the left wing and directly in front of the number one engine,” the report said. “She was subsequently pulled off her feet and into the operating engine.”

NTSB quotes the American Eagle Ground Operations Manual as part of its report.

The quoted section, some parts of which appear in bold type, states “To Keep Employees Alive and Aircraft Intact, You Will: NEVER approach an aircraft to position ground equipment next to an aircraft or open cargo bin doors until the engines are shut down and the rotating beacon(s) turned off.”

After the worker was pulled into the engine, there was a loud “bang” and the engine shut down, NTSB said.

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