Student Who Rented Plane For Date Dies After Walking Into Propeller

A college student who rented a plane for a dinner date reportedly died after he walked into the still-spinning propeller of the small airplane in Statesboro, Georgia on Sunday, Oct. 16.

The deceased man, identified as 21-year-old Sani Aliyu, a Georgia Southern University (GSU) sophomore, reportedly rented the single-engine Cessna plane for a dinner date and flew with the woman to Savannah for the date. After the date, Aliyu and the woman, the pilot, and the co-pilot reached back safely at Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport on Sunday, Oct. 16 night. However, as Aliyu got out of the airplane and walked towards the front of the airplane, he was hit in the head twice by the plane's propellor resulting in his death, New York Post reported.

"They flew to Savannah to go on a date, flew back, landed at the Statesboro Airport, and the young lady got off the plane, and he got off the airplane and walked toward the front of the plane, and when he did, the propeller hit him,” Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch said.

Savannah is reportedly about 55 miles southeast of Statesboro, where GSU has its main campus.

Following the tragic death, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the incident.

According to a spokesperson for the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, there had only been four people on board the plane, including the pilot and co-pilot. The single-engine plane carrying the four people, including the pilot, landed at the Bulloch County Airport around 10:35 p.m, WSAV News 3 reported.

“Nobody is really at fault of anything,” Hutchens said. “It was an accident.”

According to a college spokesperson, Aliyu, originally from Nigeria, was an Atlanta resident and a management major.

“We were deeply saddened to hear about the traffic incident that involved one of our students Sunday night,” Dr. Aileen Dowell, GSU’s dean of students, said in a statement.

“I have already been in touch with his family and professors, and we have mobilized all available resources to provide counseling and any other assistance the university can give.”