At Montgomery Small Airport in Alabama on New Year’s Eve, a baggage handler working for a 100 % owned American Airlines subsidiary reportedly died after being sucked into the jet engine of an Embraer E175LR regional plane.
The airport acknowledged in a brief statement that a member of the ground crew was “involved in a fatality”. The airport manager was unable to immediately offer any additional details regarding the cause of death.
There have been numerous unconfirmed allegations that the airport ground worker was sucked into an aircraft’s engine. The alleged aircraft is reported to be an Embraer E175LR regional plane flown by Envoy Air, an American Airlines affiliate that runs flights under the American Eagle name.
The employee has been recognized as working for Piedmont Air, another American Airlines wholly-owned affiliate.
On December 31 at 3:46 pm, the four-year-old aircraft that was involved in the incident was scheduled to fly AA3408 from Montgomery to Dallas. Since then, the flight has been canceled.
Neither Envoy nor Piedmont immediately responded to requests for comment but American Airlines said in an emailed 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.”
Citing the ongoing investigation, AA declined to provide further details about the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration, and regional law enforcement are all claimed to be “fully engaged” with Piedmont.
