An airport worker who was killed after being sucked into a jet engine last month had been warned to keep away from it, according to authorities.
The staff member, who was employed at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama, was killed after she went too close to the engine of an American Eagle jet that had arrived just moments prior from Dallas, Texas, on December 31.
The victim was not identified in the preliminary report, which was published by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Monday. She was later identified as 34-year-old Courtney Edwards.
"We are saddened to hear about the tragic loss of a team member of the AA/Piedmont Airlines," Montgomery Regional Airport Executive Director Wade Davis said in a statement at the time, per CBS News. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time."
Per the report, the flight was operated by Envoy Air, an affiliate of American Airlines, and had 63 passengers and crew on board.
Investigators revealed that after the pilots parked the plane at the gate, it was decided that the engines should be left on for a couple minutes in order to cool them down.
It was stated in the report that they did this due to an auxiliary power unit on board not working. They needed the engines to continue running until the aircraft could be linked to ground power.
Per NBC News, the pilots told staff at the airport that they had left the engines on. And the crew had also been informed twice before the plane arrived that no one should approach until the engines were turned off, the report revealed.
Rotating beacons on the plane were illuminated in order to serve as a warning that engines were still on, it added.
The deceased victim was also warned by a colleague to keep away from the engine after said colleague saw her almost get knocked down by the exhaust from the jet.
Then tragedy struck as Edwards went in front of one of the engines and was suddenly pulled in.
The colleague reportedly "heard a 'bang'" before the engine shut down. The pilots said they felt the plane "shake violently" during the incident.
It was also stated in the report that the American Eagle manual warns ground crew not to go within 15 feet of the front of an engine until the running of the blades comes to a stop.
