No sign airport worker who was sucked into jet engine planned to take own life, brother says

The brother of the Texas airport worker who took his own life by jumping into the spinning engine of a Delta jet said he had given no recent indications of self-harm — despite previous mental health struggles.

David Renner, 27, had been happy, sober for months and gave no indication he wanted to hurt himself, his younger brother, Joshua Renner, told the Daily Mail.

But the younger sibling acknowledged that David had struggled with mental health challenges.

“This isn’t the first time David has tried something like this, from my knowledge,” Joshua told the news outlet. “There were other times. This time I thought it was different.”

He said David’s childhood was “complicated at times with living in two separate households growing up just like all the other divorced kids.”

Joshua said his brother “had been clean for over eight months, was in therapy, [was] actively taking his prescribed medication and had finally became the David we all knew he could be.”

He said David was “living every day to the fullest,” adding that “there was zero indication this time” that he planned to take his life.

Their parents also “were making sure that he was taking good care of himself” before his death last week, Joshua added.

“David is one of many others that suffer with mental illness and it’s not always very clear to us to see,” he told the Daily Mail.

He said his brother loved to perform magic tricks for his friends and family — and “also loved making people laugh. He made it his mission to tell everyone at least one joke a day.”

The young man died Friday of blunt and sharp force injuries at San Antonio International Airport when he was ingested into the engine of the airliner, which had just arrived from Los Angeles, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Officials reportedly “saw signs that pointed to suicide.”

Emergency crews discovered the horrific scene after responding to reports of a ground worker who was “ingested” into the engine of Flight 1111 as it was taxiing to the gate at about 10:30 p.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation but it was halted Monday after the medical examiner’s determination.

“There were no operational issues with either the airplane or the airport,” the NTSB said.

Both Delta and Unifi Aviation, the company that employed Renner,  previously expressed condolences over his death. 

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.