A witness described a 'hellish noise' when a person was killed in a plane's engine — the 2nd incident of its kind this year

31.05.2024 - 09:25 / insider.com / Royal Netherlands / Marjan Rintel

A man died after entering a plane's engine at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on Wednesday.

The Embraer E190 operated by KLM was preparing to depart for Billund, Denmark.

"A fatal incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine," the airline said in a statement. "Sadly, this person has died."

"We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident," it continued.

On Thursday, the Dutch Royal Military Police announced that its investigation determined the incident was a suicide. It added that the deceased man had been identified, but did not share any more details.

It's unclear whether the man worked for the airline or the airport or was a passenger.

An employee told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that someone entered the engine just after the crew completed safety checks.

They also described a "hellish noise" followed by smoke coming from the plane.

Marjan Rintel, the CEO of KLM, said in a post on X, "Our thoughts go out to the loved ones of the deceased and all people who witnessed the accident."

In January, a 30-year-old man died after climbing inside 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, such incidents involve staff. In June last year, a ground worker was sucked into the engine of a Delta plane and died. And in January last year, an American Airlines employee was "ingested into the engine" of an Embraer E170.