GS student dies from airplane propeller accident

Raquel Upson, Correspondent

On Sunday night, GS student Sani Aliyu was killed at the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport.

What’s new: Aliyu was a passenger on a small plane that landed safely but was reportedly struck by a propeller after getting off the plane. 

  • Shortly before 10:45 p.m on Sunday, Bulloch County 911 dispatched emergency services to the airport, where Bulloch Coroner, Jake Futch, pronounced Aliyu dead at the scene, noting that he’d been struck twice in the head by a propeller and died immediately. 
  • The pilot, co-pilot and woman Aliyu had reportedly been on a date with, were the other people on board.
  • “They flew to Savannah to go on a date, flew back, landed at the Statesboro Airport, and the young lady got off the plane and walked toward the back of the plane, and he got off the airplane and walked toward the front of the plane, and when he did, the propeller hit him,” Futch said. (According to the Statesboro Herald) 
  • “We were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic incident that involved one of our students Sunday night,” said Dr. Aileen C. Dowell, the university’s associate vice president and dean of students. “I have already been in touch with his family and professors, and we have mobilized all available resources to provide counseling and any other assistance the university can give.”