NTSB Releases New Details in Airport Ramp Fatality

An airline ramp worker was killed when she was pulled into an Embraer 170 engine.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 01:52 PM ET

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The NTSB released its preliminary report on the fatal accident involving an airline ramp worker and an Embraer 170 at Montgomery Regional Airport (KMGM) in Alabama last month. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

An airline ramp worker was fatally pulled into an operating aircraft engine at Montgomery Regional Airport on New Year's Eve.
The aircraft's engines remained running for a cool-down period due to an inoperative auxiliary power unit (APU), a condition communicated in multiple safety briefings to ground crew.
Ground personnel were explicitly warned not to approach the aircraft or set safety cones until engines were off and beacon lights extinguished, and the beacons were illuminated at the time of the incident.
Despite these warnings, the victim entered the engine's ingestion zone while it was still active, a direct violation of the airline's safety protocols and manual.

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An airline ramp worker was killed at an Alabama airport New Year’s Eve when she was pulled into a still-operating engine of an Embraer 170 that was cooling down, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report on the fatal accident released Monday.

The accident at Montgomery Regional Airport (KMGM) happened in daylight on New Year’s Eve when the aircraft, which was flying for American Airlines’ regional American Eagle, was parked at a gate, NTSB said.