What happened
Eyewitnesses reported that a ground crew member was assisting in the parking of a Saab-340B aircraft. The ramp agent had successfully marshaled the plane to its designated spot and chocked the nose wheel. While she was in the process of delivering flight documentation to the captain's access port, the papers were blown out of her breast pocket by the wind or air movement.
As she attempted to retrieve the loose documents, her right hand came into contact with the winding down left propeller. The incident resulted in severe injuries, specifically the severing of her thumb and two fingers.
The investigation
Management reviewed the circumstances surrounding the accident. Despite the ramp agent having received prior training on the ground handling procedures for the Saab 340 aircraft, the manager characterized the cause as a case of impulse reactiveness on the part of the employee.