Bulloch County 911 dispatched emergency services to the Statesboro Airport at 10:44 pm on Sunday, October 16, 2022 for an incident involving an airplane.
Bulloch County Sheriff's deputies were the first on the scene and found a male who had been struck by an airplane who was critically injured. Bulloch County EMS arrived moments after the deputies. They determined the the victim had sustained fatal injuries and requested Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch to the scene.
According to a statement from the FAA the Cessna 172 airplane landed at the Statesboro Airport at 10:36 pm and taxied to the ramp. Passengers exited the plane and one was struck by the propeller and sustained fatal wounds.
Coroner Futch confirmed that Sani Aliyu, a 21 year old male with an Atlanta address died at the scene. Aliyu was a student at Georgia Southern University.
According to flightaware.com the plane had made a trip from the Statesboro Airport to the Savannah Airport and had returned to the Statesboro Airport when the accident occured.
Kathy Boykin, Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport manager said this type of accident is very rare and that the FAA is in charge of the investigation. She said accidents in general, especially fatal ones at the airport are extremely rare.
This is a developing story and Grice Connect will update as more information becomes available.
