Man Dies After Being Sucked Into Plane Engine

Engine was not attached to plane

An engineer working on an airplane engine in New Zealand was sucked into the machine and killed.

Air New Zealand confirmed the man's death, saying he was working on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules engine early Monday. He was identified by local television reports as Miles Hunter, 51. The engine was not attached to a plane, but was on a stand when the incident occurred.

Rob Fyfe, chief executive of Air New Zealand, told TVNZ News that officials were at a "complete loss" as to how the incident occurred.

"It was a very routine procedure with very experienced people involved," he said.

Although rare, such gruesome deaths are not unprecedented. A U.S. Navy serviceman survived after being sucked into a jet engine on an aircraft carrier in 1991.

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