The death of an airport worker who died after being “ingested” by the engine of a Delta Air Lines plane on Friday has been ruled as suicide.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the incident happened just before 10:30 p.m. at San Antonio International Airport in Texas.
On Monday, the NTSB and Bexar County Medical Examiner said the worker’s cause of death was blunt and sharp force injuries, and his manner of death was suicide, reported KENS 5.
Both organizations identified the deceased man as David Renner, 27.
The NTSB had earlier confirmed that the man was “ingested” into the engine of the Airbus A319.
Delta Flight 1111 had just arrived from Los Angeles International Airport and was taxiing to the gate on one engine when the indent happened, CBS reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the man had worked as an airport ramp worker for Unifi, a sub-contractor for Delta, which handles ground-handling operations at the airport, CBS reported.
A Delta spokesperson expressed deep sadness over the loss of life.
“Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” he said.
Officials at San Antonio airport released a similar statement on Saturday, reported KENS 5.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident and are working with authorities as they begin their investigation,” it stated.
The death marks the second incident of this kind in just six months. In December last year, a 34-year-old ground crew worker died after also being “ingested” into a plane engine at the Montgomery, Alabama, airport.
The aircraft, an Embraer 170, was operated by regional carrier Envoy Air. The plane was stationary at the gate when a ground support personnel was sucked into its engines, according to the NTSB, reported by CNN.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the incident happened as a result of adequate safety measures not having been followed and could have been avoided, CBS reported.
“Proper training and enforcement of safety procedures could have prevented this tragedy,” according to OSHA area director Jose A. Gonzalez.
Regional airline Piedmont was fined more than $15,000 by OSHA on June 21 over December’s incident, the BBC reported.
