SAN ANTONIO — A death of a ground crew member at San Antonio International Airport who was “ingested” into the engine of an aircraft on Friday has been ruled a suicide, authorities said.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office released its findings Monday, the San Antonio Express-News reported. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the crew member was a 27-year-old man, KENS-TV reported.
Although the NTSB released the man’s name, Cox Media Group will not report it since he was not a public figure.
The Medical Examiner’s Office said that it found signs that “pointed to suicide,” the Express-News reported.
“Based on information the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office provided to the National Transportation Safety Board today, the NTSB will not be opening an investigation into this event,” NTSB officials said in a statement Monday. “There were no operational safety issues with either the airplane or the airport.”
The NTSB said that the incident occurred just before 10:30 p.m. CDT on Friday when Delta Air Lines Flight 1111 arrived at the south Texas airport from Los Angeles, WOAI-TV reported.
According to the medical examiner, the worker died of blunt and sharp force trauma, KENS reported.
The worker was employed by a Delta contractor, Unifi Aviation, that supports the airline’s ground operations, according to the Express-News.
Unifi Aviation told KENS it will have grief counselors at the site through Tuesday.
“Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased, and we remain focused on supporting our employees on the ground and ensuring they are being taken care of during this time,” the company said in a statement to CNN. “From our initial investigation, this incident was unrelated to Unifi’s operational processes, safety procedures and policies. Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be sharing any additional information. While police and other officials continue to investigate this incident, we defer to them on providing further details.”
“We are deeply saddened by this incident and are working with authorities as they begin their investigation,” San Antonio airport officials said in a statement released over the weekend.”
Delta said its company was “heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life.”
“Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” the airline said in a statement.
Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via the Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.
