A Georgia college student was killed when he was struck by the propeller of the small aircraft he was on for a date-night flight, officials said Tuesday.
The accident was reported shortly after 10:30 p.m. Sunday at Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport in Georgia, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
"After the plane taxied to the ramp area, a passenger got out and was struck by the propeller," the agency said.
Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch told the Statesboro Herald that the student, Sani Aliyu of Atlanta, was on a date that included a round-trip flight to Savannah.
Aliyu, 21, was from Nigeria, NBC affiliate WSAV of Savannah reported.
Bulloch County Sheriff’s Capt. Todd Hutchens told The Associated Press that a pilot and a co-pilot were also on the plane. In total, four people were aboard, the FAA said.
The aircraft, a single-engine Cessna 172, had landed without incident, the federal agency said.
Aliyu was a sophomore at Georgia Southern University, school officials said. Aileen C. Dowell, the Statesboro school's dean of students, said grief counselors will be available to students.
"We were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic incident that involved one of our students Sunday night," she said in a statement to WSAV. "We have mobilized all available resources to provide counseling and any other assistance the university can give."
