A graphic and horrifying incident struck Chabahar Konarak Airport in Southern Iran earlier this week, when an airliner mechanic was killed in a jet engine accident.
While performing routine maintenance on a Varesh Airline plane, Abolfazl Amiri met a gruesome fate after he was sucked into the engine of a Boeing 737-500. According to TMZ, the incident occurred shortly after Amiri realized he’d left a tool near the engine. Tragically, when he went to retrieve it, he was pulled into the turbine, which had been running for a test. The engine ignited, and Amiri died instantly. Authorities confirm they were able to retrieve Amiri’s remains from the engine.
The shocking event is the latest in a string of fatal incidents involving Boeing aircraft. Just last year, multiple crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX raised global concerns about the safety of the aircraft, leading to widespread grounding of the fleet. Additionally, in recent months, Boeing has been under intense scrutiny following the suspicious deaths of several whistleblowers who had reported safety concerns to federal watchdog agencies.
Namley, elderly Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead under mysterious circumstances in March. Barnett, who was 62 years old at the time of his death, had worked at the aviation company for 32 years until his retirement in 2017. He primarily worked as a quality manager at the North Charleston plant, making the 787 Dreamliner aircraft from 2010 and on.
According to police reports, Barnett was found dead at his home in the United States from a from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.” In the days leading up to his death, Barnett had been cooperating and providing evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.
Iran’s aviation authority has launched an investigation into the deadly incident at Chabahar Konarak Airport as the loss of Amiri serves as a grim reminder of the potentially fatal consequences of aviation industry oversights and the critical need for stringent safety protocols.