Can a Plane Engine Really Suck a Human In?

Jet engines are an engineering marvel, providing thrust for airplanes to take off and soar through the skies. But their incredible power also poses potential dangers.

Stories of people getting too close to jet intakes and being sucked into the engines fuel urban legends and morbid curiosity. Is it really possible for a plane engine to ingest a human being?

Let’s take a closer look at jet engine mechanics and documented cases of jet engine human ingestion.

Can a plane engine really suck a human in? Yes, a plane engine can ingest and dismember a human body if a person were to end up directly in the intake path. There are several documented cases of jet engine intakes fatally ingesting airport ground workers who strayed too close to operating aircraft. Physics shows a human body would not survive transit through the engine. Proper procedures and barriers aim to prevent such horrific accidents.

How Jet Engines Work And How They Have The Energy To Ingest Large Objects

Jet engines move an aircraft forward by taking in air, mixing it with fuel, and igniting it to generate expanding gases and thrust. The engines have a series of components to accomplish this:

• The inlet sucks in incoming air.
• The compressor stages compress the air before it enters the combustion chamber.
• The combustion chamber mixes compressed air with fuel and ignites it, producing rapidly expanding gases.
• The turbine captures expelled gas energy to turn the compressor.
• The nozzle accelerates the exhaust gases backward to produce thrust.

The huge volumes of air entering the inlet create substantial suction forces. At full power, the intake inhales over 100,000 cubic feet of air per second on larger engines. This generates an intake airflow averaging 300 mph, but localized velocities can briefly reach 500 mph during surges.

The compressor stages act like fans, creating progressively higher pressures to pack more air mass into the combustion chamber. By the last stage, compressor pressures reach 40-50 times atmospheric levels.

So yes, jet intakes can create sizable suction forces – enough to ingest objects, wildlife, and potentially humans accidentally caught in their path. Engine designers are well aware of this ingestion risk and use various techniques to mitigate it.

Jet Engine Ingestion Hazards

Any kind of debris sucked into a jet engine poses a damage risk. At a minimum, foreign object ingestion may erode compressor blades and reduce performance over time. More concerning is the possibility of engine failure from a stuck compressor or broken turbine blading.

Bird strikes are a common problem illustrating the damage potential of ingesting objects. Between 1990-2007, over 53,000 bird strikes were reported to the FAA in the US alone. In 1960, an Eastern Air Lines flight crashed after ingesting a flock of starlings, killing 62 people.

Thankfully, rigorous engine testing helps ensure that modern jet engines can withstand reasonable amounts and sizes of ingested debris before suffering catastrophic failure. The danger to the engine itself depends on the materials and mass of objects ingested.

Dangers to Humans

What would happen if a human got sucked towards a jet intake? Could you survive being ingested into a jet engine? Unfortunately, the blunt physics reality is that a human body would fare very poorly passing through the compressor stages and combustion chamber of a jet engine.

The intake itself poses grave dangers. The inlet’s sharp lip and interior surfaces would inflict traumatic lacerations and blunt force trauma. The drastic deceleration forces inside the inlet would likely tear extremities and dislocate joints. Surviving transit through the inlet would require incredible luck.

Upon reaching the compressor, a person would encounter a buzz saw of titanium fan blades spinning at thousands of RPM. The centrifugal forces and air pressures would rapidly shred any human tissue caught in their path.

Further into the engine, the combustion chamber burns fuel at over 2000°F. Any remains passing this point would incinerate from the intense heat. The turbine section would complete the destruction with high speed blade impacts.

Notable Engine Ingestion Cases

There are several recorded cases of humans being ingested into jet engines over the years:

• In 1976, a teenaged mechanic got too close to an intake on a military base and was pulled in.
• In 1981, a malfunctioning engine blew exhaust directly behind it, pushing a worker into the intake.
• In 1993, a sailor got sucked into an A-6 jet engine while wandering near aircraft preparing to launch off a carrier deck.
• In 2015, two airport ground workers failed to follow safety protocols and were ingested by a taxiing aircraft engine.
• In 2019, a woman died after walking into an engine inlet behind a plane beginning to push back.
• In 2021, a young mother was killed after prematurely unbuckling her seat belt and getting sucked part way out a window during an emergency landing.
• In December 2022, a 27-year-old airport worker named David Renner died from injuries sustained after being ingested into a jet engine at the San Antonio International Airport.

Investigations into these cases usually cite complacency, inadequate safety barriers, and lack of adherence to engine operation protocols as factors leading to the fatal mishaps. They serve as dire reminders that jet intakes pose extreme dangers to anyone caught directly in their path.

David Tenner Texas Tragedy

Renner was working for a ground handling company and got too close to a Delta Air Lines jet that was taxiing to the arrival gate after landing. Despite the engine still running, Renner ended up directly in the intake and was pulled into the engine.

Initial reports suggested it was a tragic accident. However, the medical examiner later ruled Renner’s death a suicide after an autopsy revealed injuries consistent with intentionally stepping into the moving engine.

This shocked many, accustomed to thinking of jet engine deaths as accidental. But it illustrates the grim reality that the extreme forces generated by jet intakes make them an effective means of self-harm for those set on taking their own lives.

How Close is Safe?

What about getting close to a jet engine without direct ingestion? How near can you safely be around an operating intake?

The high velocities and suction forces make any proximity precarious. General guidelines suggest maintaining at least a 10-15 foot radius from a running jet engine. Even at that distance, loose clothing or being off balance could draw a person dangerously close.

Being behind a jetblast is equally hazardous. Exhaust velocities can reach hurricane-force winds exceeding 150 mph. Jet exhaust has knocked over vehicles and blown people off their feet.

The Federal Aviation Administration recommends staying at least 200 feet behind airline jets spooling up for takeoff. More powerful military jet exhausts warrant an even greater buffer.

Attempting to approach an operating intake close enough to get sucked in would be extremely difficult. The deafening noise, intense airflow, and blasts of hot exhaust would make it nearly impossible.

You’d have to intentionally dive into a jet intake to get ingested. But make no mistake, if a person were to stumble into the path of a jet engine, gruesome death would follow.

VIDEO: Can a Plane Engine Really Suck a Human In?

This video gives you an idea of what might happen if a human gets too close to a jet engine (even if only running at idle):

Safety Precautions Around Jet Engines

The potential perils of jet engines warrant rigorous safety measures for ground operations. Safety experts offer common sense recommendations:

• Adhere to engine operating procedures and be alert around machinery. Never bypass safety barriers or get complacent around aircraft.
• Wear hearing protection when working near aircraft. Constant jet noise impairs awareness of hazards.
• Keep loose clothing, hair, tools, and other objects secured. Don’t allow materials to get blown towards intakes.
• Maintain situational awareness and keep a firm grip when aircraft are moving. Know intake locations and stay well clear of the inlets.
• Never approach an operating engine, even if you must retrieve a lost item. Flag down the operator to shut down before getting close.
• Allow only authorized, properly trained personnel near engines. Handle ground operations in pairs for safety.
• Cordon off a cleared perimeter of at least 25 feet around aircraft with engines running. Keep the area free of equipment and people not actively servicing the plane.
• Position protective barricades in front of intakes whenever feasible. Use markings and signs to designate engine danger zones.

Sticking to safety protocols like these plus common sense helps mitigate the risks around jet engines.

Final Thoughts

Aircraft jet engines generate incredible suction forces, posing extreme dangers to anyone caught directly in the intake path. Stories of people getting sucked into jet engines and gruesomely killed feed morbid curiosity and urban legends.

However, directed ingestion of humans is nearly impossible near operating aircraft. Safety barriers, extreme noise and wind, and blasts of hot exhaust deter close approaches. Still, jet intakes warrant caution and respect for their hazardous potential. By following sound procedures, maintaining situational awareness, and keeping clear of intakes, tragic accidents can be avoided.

With mindful operating practices, the awesome power of jet engines can be harnessed for productive purposes rather than presenting unnecessary dangers. The precision engineering and diligent maintenance supporting air transportation is a testament to human skill and care.

So next time you fly, appreciate not only the incredible technology of jet engines, but the human ingenuity and responsibility devoted to operating them safely.