Boeing 737 engine reportedly sucked and killed an Iranian mechanic in a ghastly accident

A mechanic has been pulled into the airplane’s engine at Boeing passenger jet and killed at Chabahar Konarak airport in southern Iran after he approached the running engine to get a tool he left nearby.

The late mechanic, Abolfazl Amiri, was a local mechanic who carried out preventive and regular services on the Boeing 737-500 of Iranian domestic Varesh Airline when he was sucked into the aircraft's engine.

The incident happened during a test run of the aircraft’s right-hand engine, which had been started with the cover flaps open.

As per standard safety norms, a safety area was established around the engine to prevent accidents. However, Amiri, realizing he had left a tool on the engine, went back to retrieve it. And suddenly, he was sucked into the engine, which then caught fire, leading to his death. Emergency responders from the airport fire brigade arrived promptly and recovered Amiri's remains.

The Iranian aviation authority has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident to prevent future occurrences.

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Some freak airport tragedy over the years

This tragedy echoes a similar incident that happened in 2022 at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama, US. A baggage handler, identified as 34-year-old Courtney Edwards, was killed after being sucked into the engine of an American Airlines plane.

The incident happened on New Year's Eve while the plane was parked ahead of its scheduled flight to Dallas. Edwards, a mother of three and a ground agent for Piedmont Airlines, had reportedly been repeatedly warned to stay back from the engines. The initial report from the National Transport Safety Board stated that Edwards got too close to the engine of the American Eagle-operated Embraer E175 jet, leading to her death. The accident was so violent that it shook the entire aircraft.

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Another one happened in May at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. An airport employee was killed after being sucked into a KLM passenger plane engine, the Embraer 190 aircraft.

The Dutch Royal Military Police, who investigated the incident, concluded that the man had “intentionally climbed into the engine, indicating this is a case of suicide.”