Awful: American Airlines Ramper Sucked Into Engine

It's a terrible way to end the year.

Baggage handler at Montgomery Airport has fatal accident

A baggage handler working on the ramp at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama was sucked into the engine of an airplane on New Year's Eve. Piedmont Airlines is a subsidiary of American Airlines. A wholly owned subsidiary of American, American Eagle, was flying to and fro from Dallas Fort Worth Airport.

AA3408 arrived at Montgomery Airport at 3:35PM, 20 minutes behind schedule, and was supposed to depart back to Dallas at 3:46PM. The four year old aircraft that was involved in the incident is still on the ground in Montgomery, and the return flight was canceled because of it.

The airport was closed for several hours after this incident.

My thoughts are with the employees family and friends.

How could something like this happen?

Both on the ground and in the air are very safe. There are a lot of precautions taken. Not much is known about how this could happen. According to reports, this happened while the plane was at the gate.

The big question is what could have caused this incident. Was the auxiliary power unit not working and the ramper getting close to one of the engines while it was still running?

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident. An American Airlines spokesman has made a statement.

“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.”

Bottom line

A ramper working for a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines was killed yesterday when he was sucked into the engine of a plane. The plane was on the ground after it landed. As of now, the details of what happened remain limited.

What do you think about this terrible event?