A Nigerian college student, Sani Aliyu has been confirmed dead after he was struck by the propeller of a small plane he rented for a dinner date in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States.
According to reports, the authorities have started an investigation into his death which occurred at Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport, last week Sunday.
The 21-year-old was on a date with a young woman and they had both flown on a single-engine Cessna to Savannah and back.
After the plane landed safely, Aliyu, unfortunately, walked into the propeller and was hit twice in the head and died immediately, Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch said.
Aliyu’s date “got off the plane and walked toward the back of the plane.” But Aliyu “got off the airplane and walked toward the front of the plane, and when he did, the propeller hit him”, Futch said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) public affairs assistant Steve Kulm said the plane, the 2005 Cessna 172S touched down around 10.35 pm and the county dispatched an ambulance to the airport just before 10.45 pm.
The report revealed that Aliyu was pronounced dead at the scene and identified on Monday but the FAA and the National Transportation Board (NTSB) have said they would probe the incident.
Aliyu was a sophomore at Georgia Southern University, according to school spokeswoman Melanie Simon. Futch said he saw information showing that Aliyu was from Nigeria, but his background was not confirmed by the university.
The university’s dean of students and associate vice president, Dr Aileen Dowell, said the campus community is “deeply saddened to hear about the tragic incident.”
“I have already been in touch with his family and professors,” Dowell said, “And we have mobilized all available resources to provide counselling and any other assistance the university can give.”
