Jan. 1 (UPI) -- The National Transportation Safety Board said it has opened an investigation into Saturday's death of a ground crew employee at an Alabama airport.
The NTSB said Sunday in a statement that it and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the death of a ground support personnel who was "ingested into the engine" of an aircraft at Montgomery Regional Airport.
The airport identified the deceased only as a member of the American Airlines/Piedmont Airlines ground crew.
It said the death occurred at around 3 p.m. Saturday, resulting in all outbound and inbound flights being halted.
Montgomery Regional Airport Executive Director Wade Davis said in a statement that they were "saddened" by the "tragic loss."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time," he said.
The airport resumed normal operations at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, it later tweeted.
