Alabama airline worker was sucked into engine so violently it shook the plane ... trends now
The airline worker who died after being so violently sucked into the engine of a recently landed plane it shook the entire aircraft was a mother-of-three and had been repeatedly warned to stay back.
The tragedy occurred on New Year's Eve at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama. The victim was later identified as 34-year-old Courtney Edwards, who worked as a ground agent for Piedmont Airlines.
The initial report from the National Transport Safety Board stated that Edwards was killed after getting too close to the engine of an American Eagle operated Embraer E175 jet.
The report notes that Edwards failed to heed multiple warnings to stay back from the engines while the plane was shutting down.
The 59 passengers on board the flight from Dallas and four crew members were not injured.
A GoFundMe page that has been set for members of Courtney Edwards' family has raised nearly $100,000
The report says the surveillance video shows a violation of protocol in which Edwards did not keep a safe distance until the airplane's rotating beacon light shuts off
Edwards is survived by her three children and her mother, according to a GoFundMe page that has been set up to help her family financially. At the time or writing, the campaign has raised close to $100,000.
According to the report, upon landing, the captain began the process of shutting down the engines before receiving a warning that the plane's front cargo door was open.
The co-pilot alerted workers on the ground to let them know the engines were still on.
One section of the report reads: 'Immediately thereafter, he saw a warning light illuminate and the airplane shook violently followed by the immediate automatic shutdown of the number 1 engine.
'Unsure of what had occurred, he extinguished the emergency lights and shut off both batteries before leaving the flight deck to investigate'.
The report says there is video that shows Edwards walking in front of the first engine on the left of the plane. It reads: 'She was subsequently pulled off her feet and into the operating engine.'
One of Edwards' colleagues told investigators he saw her 'almost fall over from the engine's exhaust while he
