Courtney Edwards Killed in Jet Engine Accident in Montgomery, AL
UPDATE (January 24, 2023): Recent details identified the victim and gave details from a preliminary NTSB incident report. In summation, NTSB said that Courtney Edwards was working as ground crew at the time and was near American Eagle flight ENY3408 while the engines were still on. The NTSB report says that the airplane was waiting for the engines to "cool down" and to connect to ground power. Edwards may have been placing safety cones leading up to the incident, but why the crew was working near the jet while it was still on remains unclear. The reports say there were safety meetings held, yet somehow this awful event was allowed to happen to an employee.
As positive a step forward as these reports are, they are still just preliminary. They may give a basic view of what happened, but why did this happen? Who was responsible for the safety of the ground crew? What did they do differently on this day that led to someone getting killed when every other day saw them make it home to their loved ones safely? Until those questions are answered, this story is far from over.
Montgomery, AL -- December 31, 2022, an airline worker was killed as the result of an accident where they were caught in a jet engine.
The exact series of events remains unclear at this time. Numerous sources currently say the incident happened at around 3:00 p.m. at the Montgomery Regional Airport. The plane involved was said to be operated by Envoy Air and the worker was reportedly an employee for Piedmont Airlines, both apparently subsidiaries of American Airlines.
It appears the plane was parked at the time when the worker somehow was sucked into the jet engine. As a result, the victim suffered fatal injuries. Right now, there are no additional details pending investigations from both NTSB and FAA officials.
Something I want to mention up front here is that all the headlines using the same flashy language is completely insensitive to the victim's loved ones. It seems the news is more concerned with getting clicks than they are with how the family would feel seeing language like what I'm seeing from many sources. There's a family out there that needs answers, and that should be the priority right now.
The good news about that is the NTSB and the FAA are essentially the Green Berets when it comes to investigating accidents like this--the best of the best. The unfortunate reality, however, is their investigations can take a very long time. So while a family may eventually get answers, they may be left in the dark for a long time--too long for me if I were the one who lost a loved one.
At the end of the day, there are countless flights in this country where workers ultimately go home to their loved ones without incident. This day was different, and my concern is that's because someone made a serious mistake. While the eventual insight from official agencies will be invaluable, it's important to consider how to get the family here some clearer answers in the meantime.
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