A Lamentable Misstep

Sani Aliyu, age 21, suffered fatal wounds when he disembarked a Cessna 172 on the ramp of Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport (TBR), and walked, inadvertently, into the aircraft’s propeller arc.

Mr. Aliyu, a sophomore at Georgia Southern University, had rented the single-engine Cessna to transport himself and an unnamed lady-friend to Savannah for a romantic dinner date. The couple, along with two pilot acquaintances of Aliyu’s who flew the aircraft, departed TBR and proceeded to Savannah (SAV)—a journey of some 35-nautical-miles—landing without incident in the early evening hours of Sunday, 16 October 2022.

Tragedy struck, however, when the aircraft and its occupants returned to TBR at approximately 22:45 EDT, and Mr. Aliyu, after disembarking the Cessna, proceeded forward, around the airplane’s wing-strut, and was twice struck in the head by the 172’s propeller.

Bulloch County coroner Jake Futch stated that Aliyu died “instantly.”

Notwithstanding upcoming investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Captain Todd Hutchens of the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office has surmised that Aliyu’s death was a tragic accident. “Nobody is really at fault or anything,” Hutchens remarked. “It was an accident …”

The flying pilot reportedly taxied the Cessna to a ramp parking area prior to any passengers having disembarked the aircraft. Captain Hutchens confirmed that the aircraft was stationary when Aliyu was struck.

Addressing the death, Georgia Southern University's dean of students and associate vice president Dr. Aileen C. Dowell put forth in a public statement: "We were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic incident that involved one of our students Sunday night. I have already been in touch with his family and professors, and we have mobilized all available resources to provide counseling and any other assistance the university can give."

It is unclear whether Mr. Aliyu—who originally hailed from Nigeria—has any family members residing in the U.S.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov