Person dies after landing in plane engine, second incident in 2024

• At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one person died after getting caught in an engine.
• A witness told the Dutch newspaper “De Telegraaf” that there was “hellish noise and smoke”.
• The incident is the second well-documented case of an aircraft engine-related fatality in 2024.

A person died at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Wednesday after landing in the engine of an airplane.

The Embraer E190 operated by KLM prepared for departure to Billund, Denmark.

“Today a fatal incident occurred at Schiphol where a person was caught in a running aircraft engine,” the airline said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this person has died.”

It was further stated that the incident was being investigated.

“We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident,” it said.

The Dutch military police said they were investigating the incident, but said at a press conference that it was too early to determine whether it was a suicide.

It is also unclear whether the person worked for the airline or the airport or whether he or she was a passenger.

The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that an employee said someone had entered the engine immediately after the crew had completed safety checks.

They also described a “hellish noise” followed by smoke rising from the plane.

Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM, said in a post on X: “Our thoughts are with the relatives of the deceased and all people who witnessed the accident.”

In January, a 30-year-old man died when he climbed into the engine of a Delta Air Lines plane at Salt Lake City airport. Security camera footage showed him trying to open locked doors in the terminal before running across the tarmac.

More often, employees are involved in such incidents. Last June, a ground worker was sucked into the engine of a Delta plane and died. And last January, an American Airlines employee was “sucked” into the engine of an Embraer E170.