Sint Maarten Airport, Beachgoer Dies from Jet Engine Blast
St. Maarten Airport Beachgoer Dies from Jet Blast
10:00 AM PT -- Sint Maarten police tell us government and airport officials will be meeting to discuss new safety measures. Currently it's not illegal to stand at that fence at the end of the runway, but with this fatality -- the first ever -- we're told officials will consider making changes.
A New Zealand tourist in Sint Maarten died during a thrill-seeking escapade as she tried to withstand the blast of a jet engine.
The scene was horrifying ... people in Sint Maarten tell TMZ, the woman was hanging on to a fence at the edge of the runway, while an airliner revved its engines before rolling down the runway for takeoff.
We're told she couldn't hold on to the fence and was catapulted backward into a concrete barrier on the edge of the beach.
People on scene tried in vain to resuscitate her but it appears she died on impact.
2012
A similar incident occurred in 2012 when a woman was blown into the same barrier, but she survived.
There are signs warning people not to stand in the pathway of the jet, but it has become one of the most popular things to do in Sint Maarten.
