A Hong Kong airport ground worker was killed when he fell out of the passenger seat of a tow truck and was hit by the plane being pulled behind it, authorities said. The unnamed victim, a 34-year-old Jordanian national working in Hong Kong, was found lying on a taxiway with multiple serious injuries early Tuesday and was pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle’s 60-year-old driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death. The incident occurred at the West Apron of the airport, where tow trucks transport aircraft from runways to the terminal buildings.
The tow truck was preparing to move an aircraft belonging to Greater Bay Airlines when the accident happened, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Airport Authority told AFP. The tow truck driver and the victim were seated in the rear seat, and the man was unable to fasten his seat belt before falling out of the vehicle. The plane being moved was an Airbus A380, which has become a symbol of the airport since opening in July 1998. It’s the largest commercial aircraft in the world and can carry up to 525 passengers.
After the tow truck driver returned from his shift and discovered that the man had fallen out of the backseat, he reported the incident to police. Investigators believe the victim, who worked for ground support and maintenance firm China Aircraft Services, may have not buckled his seat belt. The airport authority contacts the company to assist the victim’s family.
A similar tragedy took place in August when a pilot was killed after being hit by a small plane at a Salt Lake City airport. According to the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office, the single-engine aircraft, owned by a 38-year-old father of two, had been making an emergency landing on the runway when it was struck from behind by the Experimental Lancair IV-P. The crash caused significant damage to the plane and left the pilot with “significant head trauma.”