More information has emerged about the incident that left two people dead and one injured Tuesday morning, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
The son of a Delta Air Lines employee killed at an airline aircraft maintenance facility in Atlanta early Tuesday said his father's body was “unrecognizable” and could only be identified by his tattoos.
Mirko Malweg, 58, known to his family as “Mr. Fix It,” served four years in the Air Force, worked for the MARTA subway system and then worked for Delta Airlines for more than 20 years, the Post reported. 11 Alive News.
“I'm in shock,” Merweg's son, Andre Coleman, told the television station. “I wanted to see the body because I couldn't believe it was true, and neither did my mother.”
“We identified him by his tattoos and the Mississippi necklace he had around his neck.”
Two Delta Air Lines employees killed in wheel crash at Georgia facility, triggering federal investigation
Delta employee Mirko Malweg (right) reportedly worked for the airline for more than 20 years. (Facebook/Mirko Malweg/Fox News)
Delta said the fatal accident happened just after 5 a.m. at a maintenance facility inside Delta's Technical Operations Center adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Malweg was one of two workers killed while dismantling wheel components for maintenance at the wheel and brake factory. A third worker was seriously injured.
Delta Air Lines said the part was not installed on the plane at the time.
Two Delta Air Lines workers killed, third injured at Georgia maintenance facility
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the plane believed to have been involved in the crash was a Boeing 757-200. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
The Clayton County Coroner's Office identified the second victim as Luis Aldarondo, 37. Delta Airlines said the crash involved a wheel part that was not attached to the aircraft and had been disassembled for maintenance, and the injured worker was still receiving treatment as of Wednesday after the accident.
A federal investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is ongoing.
Officials told FOX 5 Atlanta that the tire exploded while workers were removing it from the plane. (FOX 5 Atlanta WAGA/Fox News)
Merweg, who lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia, had planned to retire within the next few months, according to 11Alive.
Coleman said his father was a loving man and had just helped him get the oil changed on his motorcycle on Sunday.
“That's the kind of dad he was. He was always there,” Coleman said.
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dal | Delta Airlines | 41.56 | +1.11 |
+2.74% |
Delta Air Lines said two employees were killed and a third was injured early Tuesday at a Delta TechOps facility near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Georgia. (FOX 5 Atlanta/Fox News)
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The cause of the explosion has not been made public.
The plane believed to be involved in the accident was a Boeing 757-200 that arrived from Las Vegas, Nevada, just after 9pm on Sunday. FOX5 Atlanta.
Fox News' Steven Sorace contributed to this report.
