A man was killed after he climbed into a running jet engine on Wednesday at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. The Dutch military police identified the man as “an employee of a company operating at the airport”. In a statement released on Thursday, they explained that the jet had just completed the pushback procedure and was preparing to taxi to the runway when the man, whose name has not been disclosed, climbed into the engine. The death has been ruled a suicide.
Meanwhile, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the Netherlands’ flag carrier, confirmed in a statement that the incident involved Flight KL1341, which was scheduled to depart for Billund, Denmark. “We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident at Schiphol,” the airline stated.
Schiphol Airport also expressed condolences, describing the event as a “horrible incident where a person ended up in an airplane engine.” “Our thoughts go out to the relatives, and we are caring for the passengers and colleagues who saw this,” it wrote in a social media post.
Following the incident, passengers disembarked from the aircraft, and the Dutch military police initiated an investigation. Images circulated on social media showed fire trucks and other emergency vehicles positioned next to the plane on the tarmac.
A similar incident took place in January when a man died after climbing into a plane engine at Salt Lake City International Airport. Authorities reported that he accessed the plane by passing through an emergency exit door. Despite lifesaving efforts, he succumbed to his injuries at the airport.
