What happened
During preparations for a night departure, the flight crew experienced an electrical fault indication after starting the left engine. To address the issue, the crew shut down the left engine to allow a maintenance troubleshooter to board the aircraft.
The mechanic identified a failed part and secured a replacement. This specific failure had caused the airplane's external lights to extinguish and prevented the aircraft from accepting external electrical power. As the crew prepared to shut down the right engine to complete the repair, they signaled a marshaller to apply external power to maintain lighting in the passenger cabin.
At that time, a baggage handler from another airline arrived behind the aircraft carrying bags for the flight. While the marshaller was positioned at the external power receptacle on the front right fuselage, the handler walked forward along the right side of the aircraft and into the turning propeller. The incident resulted in one fatality.
Findings
The investigation determined that the baggage handler was on her second day working in this capacity and was working the night shift. Previously, she had worked as an aircraft cleaner on the day shift for an operator that utilized an all-jet fleet. The transition to her new role involved no classroom or practical training.