US authorities have imposed a fine of nearly $16,000 on a division of American Airlines, after a fatal engine-ingestion accident at Montgomery airport.
The accident occurred on 31 December last year, as an Envoy Air Embraer 175 was parking at the gate after a service from Dallas.
One of the ground personnel attending the flight – working for American subsidiary Piedmont – passed in front of the left-hand General Electric CF34 engine, suffering fatal injuries after she was sucked into the powerplant.
According to the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which lists Piedmont as being subject to an initial $15,625 fine for violations.
It states that the company did not ensure the employee was free from “recognised hazards” likely to cause serious harm to personnel that were “exposed to ingestion and jet blast”.
According to the administration, the case has not yet been closed and details could be amended.
