The Tragic End of a Difficult Life

A ramp-worker at Texas’s San Antonio International Airport (SAT) lost his life on Friday, 23 June 2023 after being ingested into the operating engine of an arriving Delta Air Lines Airbus A319.

At the time of incident, unsubstantiated eye-witness reports set forth the decedent had “intentionally stepped in front of the live engine.”

Comes now 27 June and confirmation from the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office and the NTSB that the death has been ruled a suicide. Ergo, no further investigation of the accident, Delta Air Lines, or SAT airport will be undertaken. The victim, identified as David Renner, 27, was determined to have died of blunt and sharp force injuries.

Mr. Renner’s family stated he’d lived a challenging life and had previously attempted suicide. The family added, however, that Renner, of late, had been happy, leading a clean life, and manifested “no indications” he intended to harm himself.

Joshua Renner, the deceased’s brother, disclosed David’s childhood had been “complicated at times with living in two separate households growing up—just like all the other divorced kids.”

Joshua added: “This isn’t the first time David has tried something like this from my knowledge. There were other times. This time I thought it was different.”

The Airbus A319 by which Renner took his life was operating as Delta Flight 1111. The aircraft was newly-arrived from Los Angeles at the time of the accident—approximately 22:25 CDT—and taxiing to its SAT arrival gate under power of only one of its two CFM 56 engines.

Renner was in the employ of Unifi Aviation, the U.S.’s largest provider of ground-handling services. In a post-accident statement, the company remarked: "Unifi Aviation is deeply saddened by the loss of our employee at San Antonio International Airport during a tragic incident in the late hours of Friday, June 23, 2023. Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased, and we remain focused on supporting our employees on the ground and ensuring they are being taken care of during this time.

"From our initial investigation, this incident was unrelated to Unifi’s operational processes, safety procedures, and policies. Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be sharing any additional information. While police and other officials continue to investigate this incident, we defer to them on providing further details."

In a statement of their own, SAT officials disclosed they were "deeply saddened" by the incident and cooperating with federal agencies’ investigations thereof.

Delta Air Lines expressed its condolences to the victim’s loved ones, stating: "We are heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life in San Antonio. Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time."

FMI: www.ntsb.gov