An American Airlines employee was killed on Saturday after being "ingested into the engine" of an aircraft parked at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama, the National Transportation Safety Board says.
According to WSFA-TV, an Envoy/American Eagle Embraer 170-200 LR was parked at a gate with the parking brake set when, according to the NTSB, a ground worker was somehow pulled into one of the plane's engines.
KRLD radio reported the ground worker was a baggage handler, though the airline has not yet issued an official statement on the incident or identified the employee.
Wade Davis, executive director of the airport, said in a statement Sunday they were "saddened to hear about the tragic loss of a team member of the AA/Piedmont Airlines" and that "our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.”
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Further details about the accident are not yet available and the NTSB said a preliminary accident report is expected to be released within the next two or three weeks.
Flight 3408 was scheduled to leave Montgomery for DFW at about 3 p.m. Saturday. The airport ceased operations after the accident but resumed service at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
The investigations by the FAA and NTSB are ongoing.
