A San Antonio airport ground worker who was ‘ingested’ into the engine of a Delta Air Lines operated Airbus A319 aircraft on Friday night died by suicide, the coroner’s office has determined.
David Renner, 27, was tragically killed after he was sucked into the engine just as it pulled onto its stand at San Antonio International Airport.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s office said Renner died from “blunt and sharp-force injuries”. Local officials declined to provide further details about the incident.
Following the announcement, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it would no longer open its own investigation into the horrific incident because “there were no operational safety issues with either the airplane or the airport.”
The accident involved Delta flight DL1111 which had just arrived from Los Angeles at around 10:19 pm on Friday evening. The 19-year-old Airbus A319 single-aisle plane was taxiing to the gate on a single engine when Renner was ‘ingested’ and killed.
Renner was working for Unifi Aviation, a ground-handling company that manages Delta flights at San Antonio Airport.
A spokesperson for Delta said the airline was “heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life in San Antonio.”
“Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” the statement continued.
Before the cause of death was announced, Unifi Aviation had said it believed the accident was unrelated to their “operational processes, safety procedures and policies.”
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