The Embraer E190 from KLM Cityhopper was supposed to fly to Billund on Wednesday afternoon (May 29) as flight KL1341. But that didn’t happen. When the plane was pushed back from a gate at Pier B in departure area 1A at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport at around 4 p.m., a person got caught in the running engine. The person succumbed to their injuries.
The exact course of events and the identity of the victim were not initially disclosed. Now the Dutch gendarmerie has revealed more details. The victim was a man who worked for “a company at the airport,” they said on Thursday evening (May 30).
Gendarmerie speaks of “suicide”: Airport employee deliberately climbed into engine
The investigation also revealed that the man had climbed into the engine on purpose. “This is a case of suicide,” said the Royal Marechaussee. Out of respect for the victim and consideration for his family, no further statements would be made, they said.
All passengers and crew members had to leave the plane after the incident at Amsterdam Airport. Apparently many of them had witnessed the tragic event. “Our thoughts are with the bereaved and we are concerned for the passengers and colleagues who witnessed the incident,” Amsterdam Airport said in a statement.
Engines have gigantic suction power
The terrible event in Amsterdam is not an isolated incident. Last June, employees at San Antonio Airport witnessed a ground worker being hit and sucked into the engine of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319. He died of his injuries. At that time, too, the investigation revealed that the tragedy was a suicide.
The power of today’s aircraft engines is gigantic. The fans of the engines suck in up to 1.4 tons of air – per second. That corresponds to the volume of half an Olympic 50-meter swimming pool. Anyone who gets caught in the suction jet has little chance.
If you are thinking about taking your own life, try to talk to other people about it. With friends, relatives or with someone who is there for you anonymously – such as the telephone counseling service in Germany, Switzerland or Austria.