Alabama airport ground crew worker killed was 'sucked into the engine,' NTSB says

An airline ground crew employee died at an Alabama airport after the worker was "sucked into the engine" of a plane, federal officials said. 

The ground crew worker, whose identity has not been released, was an employee of Piedmont Airlines, which is a subsidiary of American Airlines. 

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement to USA TODAY the incident involved an Embraer 170 aircraft that had flown from Dallas-Fort Worth to Montgomery Regional Airport Saturday. The aircraft typically holds around 70 seats.

Officials said the airplane was parked at the gate with the parking brake set when the worker was sucked into the engine. 

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All outbound and inbound flights via Montgomery were initially grounded after the incident, which happened around 3 p.m. Airport operations resumed about six hours later. 

"We are saddened to hear about the tragic loss of a team member of the AA/Piedmont Airlines," said Wade A. Davis, Executive Director of MGM, at the time. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time."

The NTSB said a preliminary report on the incident is expected to be released in two to three weeks. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident, which is standard for aircraft-related accidents involving injuries and fatalities. 

Contributing: Shannon Heupel, Montgomery Advertiser

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.