An airline employee who was fatally sucked into a jet engine and whose entry “shook the entire plane” according to a REPORT was repeatedly warned before to the incident.
On New Year’s Eve, an event occurred at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama, unfortunately killing 34-year-old Courtney Edwards.
Airport staff members were advised not to approach at two separate safety meetings by the pilots.
In order to indicate that the engine was still running, the plane also appeared to have spinning illumination beacons.
The report read: “Immediately thereafter, he [the co-pilot] saw a warning light illuminate and the airplane shook violently followed by the immediate automatic shutdown of the number one engine.
“Unsure of what had occurred, he extinguished the emergency lights and shut off both batteries before leaving the flight deck to investigate.”
The report also noted the American Eagle Ground Operations Manual told employees to “Never approach an aircraft to position ground equipment next to an aircraft or open cargo bin doors until the engines are shut down and the rotating beacons turned off, except when conducting an approved single engine turn”.
A video showed Edwards walking in front of the left engine before “she was subsequently pulled off her feet and into the operating engine”.
Divonta Palmer, a co-worker of Edwards, told WFSA the tragic incident incident should be a wake-up call for ground crews regarding safety.
She said: “I can’t wrap my mind around how this happened.
“She would tell me that she was always dedicated and motivated to do the best job and put the best foot forward.”
A GoFundMe was set up to raise funds for Edward’s family and has already raised more than £81,000.
