Person killed by aircraft engine, investigations ongoing

A person has died at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport after falling into the nozzles of a running engine, authorities said.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 29, as a Cityhopper aircraft for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Flight 1341, an Embraer ERJ-190 jet, was preparing to depart for Billund, Denmark. The identity of the victim has not yet been released.

“Today there was a terrible incident where a person ended up in an aircraft engine. Our thoughts are with the relatives and we extend our condolences to the passengers and colleagues who witnessed this. The Royal Military Police is currently conducting an investigation,” said a translated statement from Schiphol Airport on X (formerly known as Twitter).

A spokesman for the Dutch military police Marechaussee told Reuters it was too early in the investigation to say whether the person’s death was an accident or a form of suicide.

It is also not immediately clear whether the person was a passenger or an airport employee.

According to BBC and CBS News, the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) showed a photo of the KLM plane surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances on site near the departure terminal.

The Royal Military Police released a statement on X, saying: “One person fell into a running aircraft engine and died” and that “all passengers and staff on the flight in question have disembarked and are being cared for.”

“Terrible news about a fatal accident today at Schiphol,” wrote Denmark’s Infrastructure Minister Mark Harbers on X.

Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in Europe; last month alone, almost 5.5 million passengers used the airport.

The airport recently made headlines after Nicki Minaj was “arrested at Schiphol Airport on suspicion of exporting soft drugs,” the Royal Marechaussee of the Netherlands confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, May 25. She was on her way to Manchester, England, for the next show of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour when the incident occurred.

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In recent years, several other aircraft engine-related deaths have made headlines in the United States – including the death of a mother of three named Courtney Edwards, who was sucked into an engine while working at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama on December 31, 2023.

Earlier this year, 27-year-old David Renner died in a similar manner at San Antonio International Airport in Texas. However, a medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.