Passengers on board a plane at a major international airport have recalled the horrific moment an Italian man was “ingested” into a jet engine.
Andrea Russo, 35, died after he was sucked into a gas turbine at Milan Bergamo Airport on Tuesday morning.
He had trespassed onto the runway while a Volotea commercial plane was preparing for takeoff at around 10.30am.
Russo, a builder from Calcinate near Bergamo, broke into Italy’s third-busiest airport by driving the wrong way down a road before abandoning his Fiat 500 and running into the terminal.
He managed to free himself from two border officers before sprinting onto the tarmac.
Sources then said the man was pulled into the Volotea Airbus A319 heading to Asturias Airport in Spain as it completed the “pushback” move prior to leaving the parking area.
Moments later, the captain addressed the 154 passengers on board the jet, informing them that there had been a “very serious problem involving a person”.
Those on board Flight V73511 BGY-OVD described the moment the incident took place as people “put their hands to their heads”.
A person has been sucked into an aircraft engine on the taxiway at Milan Bergamo Airport in Italy on Tuesday morning, the country's media reported.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 8, 2025
SACBO, the airport's operator, said flights were suspended at 10:20 a.m. local time "due to a problem that occurred on the… pic.twitter.com/heyFgR8x2W
One passenger told Spanish paper La Nueva España: "Suddenly, we heard a noise and a bang.
“Some people saw something through the window and put their hands to their heads. They told us it was best not to look out, because what was happening was very unpleasant."
Another said that stewards told travellers to pull down the shutters on their windows and how "firemen (formed) a corridor” down the plane’s stairs to cover up the scene.
They told us not to look out, because what was happening was very unpleasant
One British passenger, Ryan Trumpeter, 37, on a different plane on the tarmac when the drama unfolded -said he witnessed the emergency response while his flight was delayed.
Mr Trumpeter, from West Bromwich, told The Sun: “Our pilot had no idea what was going on, but told everyone to look to their right because there had been an incident.
“The whole plane was really confused - at first we thought it might have been a terrorist incident, that's what people were saying.”
Investigators are working on the possibility that Russo had a drug problem and that his actions were “premeditated suicide”.
Russo was not a passenger on the flight, nor was he known to Volotea — a Spanish low-cost airline headquartered in Barcelona.
In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Volotea said: “We’re investigating reports of an incident involving our flight V73511 BGY-OVD, which occurred on the ground after boarding was completed and ready for departure.
“We’re aware that one individual has sustained serious injuries involving the aircraft engine. More information soon.”
In total, around 19 flights were axed, according to Flightradar24 data. However, airport operator SACBO said air traffic resumed at 12pm local time.
