A 34-year-old airline worker tragically died after being violently pulled into the engine of a recently landed plane at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama.
According to reports, American Airlines Flight 3408 had just landed at the airport from Dallas with the brakes set but the engines were still running.
Sadly, an airline worker who was reportedly warned to stay back was sucked into the plane’s engine.
After the fatal accident, the airport released a statement: “Today (December 31) around 3 pm an American Airlines ground crew piedmont employee was involved in a fatality, no additional information is available at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased.”
The worker in question has since been identified as Courtney Edwards, a mother-of-three who was working as a ground handing agent.
A GoFundMe page setup to help her three children read: “Please know that this tragedy has and will affect her mother, family, friends, and kids for years to come.”
A preliminary report filed by the NTSB has revealed that the airline worker held two safety briefings about ten minutes before the aircraft arrived at the gate, PEOPLE reported.
The NTSB said that after the plane landed at the airport, the pilot received an alert that the front cargo door was being opened as he started to shut down the right engine.
According to the report, the flight’s first officer told a ramp agent that the engines were still on.
Only moments later, the accident happened.
Surveillance footage showed the mother-of-three walking toward the plane’s rear while carrying an orange safety cone.
She was then sucked into the engine and died.
Richard Honeycutt, vice president of Communication Workers of America District 3, said in a statement: “The news of this terrible tragedy was heartbreaking.
“Courtney was a valued member of her team and our union. She was away from her family working on New Year’s Eve making sure passengers got to where they needed to be for the holidays. She represents the very best of our CWA airport members, who constantly make sacrifices to serve the flying public.”
“Her memory will live on in the hearts and minds of her fellow CWA members and those closest to her,” he added.
“Our staff and local leaders are on the ground coordinating with the relevant agencies as the investigation continues. We are doing as much as we can to provide support for her family and loved ones during this most tragic time.”
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