A San Antonio airport worker for Delta Airlines who was sucked into a jet engine late Friday has succumbed to his injuries.
The Guardian reported Sunday that it seemed the worker “intentionally stepped in front of the live engine” on the jet. Police said that they are investigating whether it was an intentional action.
The plane had just arrived from Los Angeles and was taxiing to the arrival gate when the person stepped in front of the engine, said National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a statement.
“The NTSB has been in contact with Delta,” the agency’s statement explained. “They are in the information gathering process at this point.”
A subcontractor named Unifi Aviation provides workers to serve as the ground crew for Delta.
Local KENS reported that the company said it was “deeply saddened by the loss of [the] employee … during a tragic incident." They also indicated that it is not in their "operational processes, safety procedures and policies" to step in front of live engines.
“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,” Unifi’s statement also said. “Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be sharing any additional information” at this time.
The individual's name has not yet been released.
