Another Ground Worker Ingested and Killed In a Jet Engine in San Antonio

UPDATE VIDEO HERE:
A second worker has died in last six months after getting sucked into a jet engine, this time Delta Flight 1111 from Los Angeles to San Antonio, an Airbus 319 late in the evening of June 23rd.

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[johno]

As a airline aircraft mechanic for 23 years I've seen my fair share of things sucked into engines.
The difference between feeling a light breeze pulling at your clothes and being sucked into a engine is less than 2 feet.

[leokimvideo]

Jet engines need to be treated like guns, always loaded

[bearlemley]

Eons ago as a test pilot, one of the most nerve wracking, scary moments as a test pilot was when the mechanics needed to do some engine set up with the engine running and a huge propeller spinning at their shoulders. I had to hold the power levers in between to gates between beta and ground idle to keep the thrust neutral so I didn’t knock them down or dice them up. Yep I’ve gone down in flames, had a hundred emergencies and knew the hospital staff personally but working with the mechanics on the edge of death was really scary.

[tonyholden]

As a current major airline pilot I can tell you exactly why this is happening, very nearly happened to me about 2 years ago. We are paid block out to block in. Block in occurs as soon as the first door is opened on the airplane. This use to be the main passenger door, now it is any door, including cargo doors. Management has pounded it in to the ramp staff to get a door open the moment we stop. I am sure they have been given different reason why they need to do it, but bottom line, this all about saving a few dollars on pilot pay.

[Micg]

As a FO it really concerned me seeing these rampers not knowing how close to death they are all the time. So many times they didn't look where they were walking, and often marshallers would wave you in without even looking at the flight crew. Not to mention getting door open messages with the engines not shut down.

[bubba]

Oh my goodness! I cannot believe this happened again in 6 months. I feel so sorry for the family of this person 🙏

[MarkBrown-gchr]

Many years ago I was an apprentice aircraft mechanic at an airline in Africa. Our apprentice officer had two prosthetic arms ftom being ingested. He lived to tell the tail and scared the living blazes out of us.
He probably saved a few lives by just being our training officer.

[MyBelch]

The ramp worker was probably checking message notification on phone.

[smaze]

This is crazy. I work on the ramp at Charlotte Douglas and you really gotta keep your head on a swivel. Complacency is a killer.

[guitarhillbilly]

The INGESTION ZONE is huge on a modern turbofan engine and extends AFT of the Engine Inlet by several feet even at IDLE. There is usually a red / red orange warning stripe on the side of the cowling to remind anyone in the area of the zone. The danger is not just in front of the Engine.

[mikeng]

As an airline captain I’m very aware of the dangers of ramp personnel operating near the engines. I shut down the right one when possible because that’s the side with the cargo doors and external power port. When approaching the final chock point, at the gate, I try to keep enough speed to avoid having to goose the left engine to make it the last few inches. Having a working APU is so important. The longer I leave the engine on while waiting for the ground crew to hook up external power, the more dangerous it is.

One thing that I’d like to see changed is the use of cell phones on the ramp. I see many ramp workers looking at their phones when they are not directly working on a plane. I also think loose hats shouldn’t be allowed. I fear the day someone chases their hat as it’s being sucked into an engine.

And lastly, as bad as jet engines are, I wonder about operations around turboprops. Those huge props are invisible hazards.

The ramp is a dangerous place with sometimes inhospitable environmental conditions. It’s a job that begs for experience. High turnover due to low pay and subpar supervision should be avoided at all costs.

[ES]

As a former ramp agent I can say that there are multiple ways to tell if an engine is running. I think new rampers aren't getting adequately trained on safety around aircraft/running engines, or they are simply too inexperienced to know. Hope we have fewer of these incidents going forward

[charlesstein]

Prayers go out to the workers who have to clean up the mess and work on the engine too.

[christerry]

Such a tragedy. That has got to be one of the most gruesome accidents a person could ever see.

[samuelbarringer]

Rest in peace. My condolences to the family members.

[texasred]

Christ, imagine you're a passenger looking out the window and you see that.

[Roadglide]

That is basic aircraft ground handling 101. Whoever is training these people needs to be fired. After they are fired the ground ground crew member who walks in front of an engine should be fired on the spot if they aren’t sucked into the engine. I worked around heavy aircraft for 20 yrs, engine run and pressurization qualified and never lost someone in such senseless way.

[tonymcmillan]

It's really simple, don't go near a running jet engine. The intake is very powerful and will suck you in before you even know what's happening. Always be careful around an airplane or helicopter when the engine or engines are running.

[mpecue]

Very sad news. Complacency will kill you in all aspects of aviation.

[RcCrafter]

Worked on aircraft in the military and only had one person sucked into an engine. He lived for a little while after we pulled him out and then passed away. You must always assume an aircraft is running until you can prove different. Keep your head on a swivel as my Sargent would say or you will be meeting your maker.