KLM E190 Engine Incident, 1 Person Dead

An Embraer E190 aircraft from KLM Cityhopper has been involved in a ground incident where a person was ingested into the engine of the aircraft, resulting in a death. The incident was ruled by the Royal Military Police to be a case of suicide. 

This incident occurred on 29th May, when the Embraer E190 aircraft was preparing to depart as KL1341 to Billund in Denmark. Witnesses reported a ‘hellish noise’, followed by smoke coming from the aircraft, according to an article published by Dutch Newspaper De Telegraaf.

The Embraer E190 is a regional aircraft, frequently used by KLM and other airlines on lower density, regional routes. It is powered by two General Electric CF34-10E engines. The aircraft involved in question, PH-EZL, is a 14 year old aircraft. As a result of the incident, KL1341 was delayed by approximately 6 hours as passengers and crew had to be transferred to another aircraft. 

KLM mentioned in a statement that the incident was under investigation, and that they are currently taking care of the passengers and crew who witnessed that incident. 

In a further update from the Royal Military Police, investigations concluded that the ingestion had not been accidental.

The deceased man has been identified as an employee of a company operating at the airport. The investigation has revealed that he intentionally climbed into the engine, indicating this is a case of suicide.

Dutch Royal Military Police

We offer our condolences to the family of the deceased.