Air India flight 619 was being prepared for a flight to Hyderabad when the victim got sucked into the engine.
An Air India ground crew member died after being sucked into the running engine of a parked aircraft at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday evening.
The aircraft was being prepared for a flight to Hyderabad, sources said, when the victim got sucked into the engine. The accident occurred at 8.40 pm, barely four minutes before the flight was scheduled to take off.
The mishap occurred when the co-pilot of Mumbai-Hyderabad flight 619 misread a signal and started the engine. The victim, Ravi Subramanian, who was standing close by, got sucked into it at Bay 28 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji domestic airport, news agency Press Trust of India reported. Maintenance staff prepare aircraft for flights with the engines turned off.
"An Air India technician died in a mishap during pushback of flight AI 619, (the) incident is being investigated," Air India Chairman and Managing Director, Ashwani Lohani, said in a statement released by the airline.
"We are deeply saddened and regret the tragic incident at Mumbai airport. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," Mr Lohani added.