Airline Worker Killed After Being Sucked Into Aircraft Engine
Erica Berardi December 17, 2015
An Indian airline worker died after being sucked into an aircraft engine.
An Air India worker was killed Wednesday after an aircraft sucked him into the engine at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport.
“AI CMD Mr. Ashwani Lohani said we are deeply saddened & regret the tragic incident @ Mumbai airport this evening when an Air India technician died in a mishap during pushback of flight AI 619,” Air India said via its Twitter feed @airindiain. “The incident is being investigated. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.”
The accident happened when a Mumbai-Hyderabad flight A1 619 co-pilot misunderstood a signal for starting the aircraft’s engine into which he was sucked, reported The Hindustan Times Wednesday.
The Times said a probe has been ordered into the incident.
“At the moment, we are absolutely clueless on how this person was near the aircraft. Only an inquiry can establish whose negligence it was and whether the engine should have been switched on at that time,” an unidentified official told The Times.
Officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the local police, the airline and other authorities all launched independent investigations into the case.
Air India is an international airline with a network of 34 destinations across the U.S., Europe, Far-East and Southeast Asia, and the Gulf and a domestic network of 50 destinations.
Air India’s fleet is one of the world’s youngest, comprised of a mix of the wide-body Boeing B777s, B747s, the B787 Dreamliner and the narrow body Airbus A321s, A320s and A319 aircraft.
[Photo: Wikipedia]
