Mum-of-three killed after being violently sucked into plane engine at airport

25 January 2023 , 17:28

884     0

The airport worker Courtney Edwards, right, tragically died in a freak accident (Image: Facebook)

A mum-of-three who was "violently" sucked into a plane engine had been repeatedly warned to keep her distance from the aircraft, it has been found in an investigation.

Courtney Edwards, 34 from Alabama, US, was sucked into a plane engine and killed after a tragic accident at Montgomery Regional Airport on New Year’s Eve.

Edwards, a ground handling agent, had been working for Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, when she had been briefed to stay away from the aircraft, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Prior to the plane landing, the National Transportation Safety Board said the ground crew held a safety meeting just 10 before the flight's arrival in addition to a second safety "huddle" immediately before the plane reached the gate.

Edwards decided to walk in front of one of the engines along with an orange safety cone (WAKA)

This was “to reiterate that the engines would remain running” and the plane shouldn’t be approached until the engines were shut down and the pilots turned off the beacon light.

Red Arrow pilot forced to send out emergency alert after bird smashes into jet

However, she decided to walk in front of one of the engines along with an orange safety cone and was “pulled off her feet and into the operating engine”, according to the report.

A co-pilot said that the “airplane shook violently followed by the immediate automatic shutdown”.

A ground worker on the other side of the Embraer E175 plane had warned Edwards to stay back as the engines were still running.

The tragedy occurred on New Year's Eve at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama

There were 59 passengers and four crew members on board the flight from Dallas, which was operated by Envoy Air.

According to the safety board, an auxiliary power unit used to power the plane without using the engines, was not working.

This meant the pilot had to leave both engines running for two-minutes in order for them to cool down while they waited for the plane to be connected.

Investigators said the rotating beacons on the plane which were flashing were showing the engines were still running.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help the victim's family (Facebook)

Video footage from the airport showed Edwards walking along the edge of the plane’s left wing and in front of the first engine.

Her colleague shouted at Edwards and waved her off and as she began to step aside from the plane a huge "bang" was heard and the engine shut down, according to the report.

The reported stated the plane's manual warned in July workers should never come within 15ft of the engine until the blade's stop spinning.

Plane passengers stuck on flight for 13 hours - only to end up where they began

A probable cause for the tragic accident hasn't yet been determined as it can take a year or longer, according to the safety board.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help the victim's family which has so far taken more than $102,000 (£82,000) in generous donations.

Liam Buckler