Yesterday afternoon, a person died at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport after getting sucked into the engine of a plane that was preparing for takeoff. The exact circumstances of the event are yet unknown, but the person appears to have run into the engine of an Embraer E190, a smaller plane with a capacity of only 104 passengers. KLM uses the smaller aircraft for its Cityhopper service on short intra-European routes.
Flight KL1341 was preparing for departure, heading to Billund, in Denmark. It was supposed to take off at 2:25 pm. Passengers were receiving the safety instructions and the plane was being pushed back from the gate to go to the runway when the incident happened.
Passengers and airport employees witnessing the event have described hearing a “hellish noise” before seeing plumes of smoke coming out of the jet engine. According to local media, many people saw it happen, one airport employee telling De Telegraaf that they saw a person jump into the engine just after the safety instructions were completed.
Emergency services soon arrived at the site and passengers were deboarded. Witnesses of the incident, passengers and ground crew, are being evaluated and receiving support where needed. The Royal Military Police has opened an investigation, but has not revealed the identity of the deceased.
“A fatal incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine. Sadly, this person has died”, KLM said in a statement. “The flight concerned was KL1341 bound for Billund. We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident at Schiphol. The circumstances are currently under investigation. For further information – once available – we refer you to the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee.”
An investigation is underway and aims to determine whether this was an accident and, if yes, how it occurred, or whether it might have been a suicide. Whether the person in question was a passenger, a ground staff crew member or just someone else on the tarmac is also unclear at this time.
