TRAGIC: Airline Worker Killed After Being Sucked Into Jet Engine Turbine

An airline ground worker tragically died Friday after he was “ingested” into the engine of a Delta plane at San Antonio International Airport, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Delta Flight 1111 arrived from Los Angeles International Airport and was taxing to the gate around 10:25 p.m. when the tragedy occurred at the airport.

“We are heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life in San Antonio,” a Delta spokesperson commented.

“Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time.”

An airport worker died Friday after he was "ingested" into the engine of a Delta plane at San Antonio International Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board said. https://t.co/inm2CAoFGO

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 25, 2023

From CBS News:

“There were no operational safety issues with either the airplane or the airport,” an NTSB spokesperson said.

The worker was employed by Unifi, a company that Delta contracts with to support ground-handling operations. The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that the victim was an airport ramp worker.

ADVERTISEMENT

cont.

Unifi said that based on their own preliminary investigation, the incident did not appear to be related to company operational processes, safety procedures or policies.

This is the second type of this incident in six months. A 34-year-old ground crew worker was killed after being “ingested” into a plane engine at the Montgomery, Alabama, airport at the end of last year. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that the deadly incident could have been avoided if safety procedures were followed.

“Proper training and enforcement of safety procedures could have prevented this tragedy,” OSHA Area Director Jose A. Gonzalez in Mobile, Alabama said about the Dec. 31, 2022 incident. “This incident is a tragic reminder that safety measures must be in place even for a routine assignment.”

Strangely, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death as a “suicide.”

The cause of death was listed as “blunt and sharp force injuries.”

A Texas medical examiner's office ruled that the 27-year-old man died by suicide when he was sucked into a Delta Air Lines plane's engine on Friday. https://t.co/8mUWeVE9NH

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 27, 2023

According to San Antonio Express-News, the 27-year-old ground worker handed his boss a suicide note and jumped into the engine.

A 27-year-old worker who died at San Antonio International Airport on Friday night jumped into the Delta Air Lines plane engine after trying to give a suicide note to his supervisor, according to a police report.

The Delta plane was taxiing to the gate after its flight from Los Angeles when David Renner was “ingested” into the engine about 10:25 p.m., according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

ADVERTISEMENT

The plane’s captain felt the aircraft shake, according to the San Antonio Police Department report, released Tuesday. A witness saw Renner walk to the captain’s side of the jet, bend down and jump up into the engine.

Renner lived on San Antonio’s Northeast Side and worked for Unifi Aviation, a contractor that supports Delta’s airport ground operations.

The outlet reported that the San Antonio Police Department investigated his death to determine if foul play was involved and concluded his death was a “suicide.”