American Airlines Worker Reportedly Killed After Being Sucked Into Engine

An employee of American Airlines wholly-owned regional carrier Piedmont Airlines was sucked into the engine of an American-owned Envoy Air Embraer 175 aircraft that had arrived in Montgomery, Alabama from Dallas – Fort Worth. The individual was a baggage handler.

The aircraft, registration N264NN, was scheduled to operate American Airlines AA3408 from Montgomery back to Dallas at 3.46 pm on December 31. The flight was cancelled, and indeed all airport operations were paused.

According to American Airlines

We are devastated by the accident involving a team member of Piedmont Airlines, an American Airlines regional carrier, at Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM). 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.

Speculation exists at this point about what might have caused the incident, “Most likely one of two things: Employee approached the aircraft engine while the engine was running or thrust was inadvertently applied to the engine while it was parked.”

Aviation is usually so safe – not just in the air but on the ground as well. There are procedures, strictly adhered to, that take potentially dangerous machines and keep them well-controlled. The incident is shocking in part because it is so rare. And it’s a tragedy for the employee, their family, colleagues and friends.

(HT: @RossFeinstein)

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. It is terrible news for sure. As someone who does a lot of risk management consulting it is usually complacency in these situations. Much like a highway worker who gets too close to traffic. The danger is known and they make a mistake. It could potentially be a new employee that wasn’t trained properly but likely just someone that made a mistake and put themselves in the wrong place. OSHA and the NTSB will find the root cause as there is no such thing as an accident.

  2. RIP to that poor agent. My condolences to the family and friends. Anyone who saw that is going to need counseling.
    It’s a horrific way to die.
    This is why I always taught my trainees to stay back until all engines are shut down, just or prop. No quick turn is worth your life.

  3. Omg. RIP to that poor ramper. My condolences to the family and friends of that agent. What a horrific way to die. That is why I always taught my trainees to stay well back until all engines are shut down. No quick turn is worth your life.

  4. Prayers for all. Please please wait for the cut engine sign. Then, still wait for the engines to completely stop. People rush to make turns happen quickly. Stop and slow down. Another ramp agent died less than 5 months ago in MSY. Slow down. Please.

  5. Always some smug bastard who’s never done the job saying there’s no such thing as an accident.

  6. My greatest fear as an F-15 crew chief. SOP is to approach from behind and reach around to check for airflow. Not sure what happened here, maybe complacency or an unusual rev up from the crew.

  7. Flight deck training : take care behind or you can get cooked or blown off the deck (I almost got blown off but managed to grab a padeye as I was sliding.) Too close in front and you can get sucked in. Never forget where the props are. I suspect the baggage handler was just in a hurry and cut too close to the intake. I hope this never happens to anybody again. May they rest in peace and their families somehow find acceptance and overcome their grief.

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