Wellington: A 51-year-old engineer working at an airplane testing facility has been sucked into an engine and killed.
Domestic carrier Air New Zealand confirmed the man was performing routine maintenance on a Lockheed C-130 Hercules airplane engine just after 8 am on Monday at the Woodbourne air field in Blenheim when he was sucked into the engine.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said the engine was sitting on a stand without propellers attached and was not affixed to a plane at the time of the accident.
Tasman Police communications manager Barbara Dunn said emergency services personnel performed CPR but couldn`t revive the man.
The man worked for a Safe Air, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand. He has not been named pending notification of his family.
Bureau Report