21-Year-Old Killed by Plane Propeller After a Dinner Date, Georgia Officials Say
A Georgia college student was killed instantly when he was struck by the propeller of an airplane he rented for a dinner date, according to the Bulloch County Coroner’s Office.
The freak accident occurred Sunday night, Oct. 16, at the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport in Statesboro, Coroner Jake Futch confirmed to McClatchy News.
Authorities identified the victim as Sani Aliyu, 21, of Atlanta. Georgia Southern University officials confirmed Aliyu was a sophomore management major.
Futch said Aliyurented a Cessna plane to fly himself and a young woman to Savannah for dinner on Sunday night. Upon returning to Statesboro, the young woman got out and walked toward the back of the aircraft.
“(Aliyu) got out and walked toward the front,” Futch said. “And when he did, the propeller hit him in the head, killing him instantly.”
The single-engine plane carrying four people, including a pilot, landed at the Bulloch County Airport around 10:35 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident alongside the National Transportation Safety Board.
The plane taxied to the ramp shortly before Aliyu exited and was fatally struck, the agency said. No one else was hurt.
Dr. Aileen C. Dowell, associate vice president and dean of students at Georgia Southern, said she was “saddened” by news of the tragic incident.
“I have already been in touch with his family and professors and we have mobilized all available resources to provide counseling and any other assistance the university can give,” Dowell said in a statement.
The Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office is also looking into the incident, Futch said.
Capt. Todd Hutchens confirmed the investigation and said the sheriff’s office is working with the FAA and NTSB to determine what happened.
Statesboro is about 55 miles northwest of Savannah.
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