What happened
On May 11, 2001, at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, a KLM Cityhopper Fokker F27 Mk.050, registration PH-KXM, was preparing for its first flight of the day to Malmö. During the engine start-up sequence, a maintenance mechanic, employed by Martinair, was positioned near the aircraft's fuselage to assist with ground operations. While the flight crew was performing de-icing boot checks, the mechanic moved toward the tail section of the aircraft. During this movement, the mechanic came into contact with a rotating propeller, resulting in serious injuries.
The investigation
The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) examined the coordination between the airline, KLM Cityhopper, and the contracted maintenance provider, Martinair. The investigation focused on the preparation phase, noting that a ground engineer had left the mechanic to work independently after providing him with a headset. The inquiry also reviewed the training records of the personnel involved, the visibility conditions at the time of the accident, and the specific procedures used for verifying the inflation of de-acting boots during engine start-up.