Piedmont Airlines Conducting Inquiry into Montgomery Airport Tragedy

Summary

A ramp agent named Courtney Edwards, a 34-year-old mother of three, was killed at Montgomery Regional Airport on December 31, 2022, when she walked in front of an operating jet engine and was pulled in, prompting investigations by both the NTSB and OSHA into Piedmont Airlines' safety practices and the systemic failures that led to her death. Investigators found that pilots had left the number one engine running due to a malfunctioning auxiliary power unit while waiting for ground power, violating procedures requiring all engines to be shut down before ground crews approached the aircraft.

OSHA cited Piedmont Airlines for a serious safety violation and proposed $15,625 in penalties, finding the airline had exposed ground workers to engine ingestion hazards during routine marshaling and baggage handling operations. Safety advocates emphasized that beyond individual factors, the broader failure lay in inadequate communication protocols between flight crews and ground personnel, raising questions about systemic safety culture at regional carriers operating under intense schedule and cost pressure.