Man Sucked into Airplane Engine: Serious Questions Remain After Bergamo Horror

A man has died at an airport in northern Italy after being sucked into an airplane engine. The big question now is: How could someone just run onto the runway of an international airport?

Bergamo, Italy – A shocking incident occurred at Orio al Serio Airport near Bergamo, Italy, leaving many wondering how such a tragedy could happen.

Diego Ontani, a witness from Piacenza, described the horrifying scene. He was about to board a Ryanair plane when he saw a young man running towards a Volotea Airbus 319, being chased by three uniformed officers. The Volotea plane was preparing to depart for Oviedo, Spain, with 154 passengers and six crew members on board.

The plane’s engines were already running as it was being pushed back from its parking spot. The suction from the left engine was so strong that it pulled the man in, killing him instantly. "The sight and sound were terrifying. I'm still struggling to process what I saw. It was like a surreal scene from a movie," Ontani told reporters.

How Could This Happen?

The incident occurred at 10:35 AM on the airport runway. After the tragedy, all flights were stopped until midday, causing delays of up to two hours.

According to officials, the victim was a 35-year-old Italian man from the local area. It appears he intentionally ran into the danger zone in front of the engine, possibly with the intention of suicide. An investigation is now underway to determine exactly how this happened. Reports suggest that he had drug problems in the past, but had seemingly stabilized.

Not the First Incident

A key focus of the investigation is how a person could access the runway of an international airport relatively easily. Orio al Serio Airport handles up to 1.7 million passengers in July alone and is a major hub for budget airlines. The man could have had malicious intentions, potentially harming others in a terrorist act.

The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Enac) has launched an investigation. This isn't the first time an unauthorized person has gained access to parked airplanes at this airport. Just recently, a homeless person was found in the landing gear compartment of a jet on Easter Monday. It remains unclear how he got there or what he was doing.

The sequence of events leading up to the recent tragedy is becoming clearer. According to initial reports, the 35-year-old man parked his car in front of the arrival terminal and entered the waiting area. When the automatic door opened for passengers leaving the airport, he managed to slip into the baggage claim area. This area has emergency exits that lead directly to the parked airplanes.

Although police officers spotted and pursued him in the baggage claim area, they were unable to prevent him from opening an emergency exit and ultimately stop him from ending his life.