Luis Aldarondo loved working in the aviation field.
He trained for his career in 2019 at South Avionics Training Center in Kissimmee, Florida, the school’s president said Wednesday.
“That was his passion,” Jonathan Ibarra told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He was so happy.”
After graduating, Aldarondo, who grew up in Puerto Rico, moved with his family to metro Atlanta. He had been living in Newnan. In December, he began working at the Delta Air Lines TechOps maintenance facility. He was one of two workers killed Tuesday in an incident at the facility, according to investigators. He was 37.
Atlanta firefighters and police responded to the scene on Maynard H. Jackson Jr. Boulevard after 5 a.m. Though exact details of the emergency have not been released, it involved aircraft wheel components that were in the shop being disassembled for maintenance, Delta said late Tuesday.
Mirko Marweg, 58, who lived in Stone Mountain, was also killed, according to the Clayton County medical examiner. A third person, whose name was not released, was seriously injured, investigators said.
A worker who was on the scene “heard an explosion behind me and saw my co-workers running away from the direction of the explosion,” according to an Atlanta Fire Rescue incident report. “I realized they were running to get help.”
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is investigating. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the incident and is “in communication with the airline.” Delta said it is working with authorities.
According to an OSHA fact sheet, the agency’s probes include reviews of operations and processes in use, testing of instruments to measure potential hazards and walk-throughs of the workplace with inspections for hazards, among other measures. When hazards or violations are found, OSHA may issue citations and fines.
Marweg’s brother, Eric Gibson, told Channel 2 Action News his brother had worked for Delta for more than 20 years and planned to retire in June.
“We’re all in disbelief that this is actually occurring,” Gibson said. “We’re waiting for someone to wake us all up from this nightmare.”
Speaking briefly with the AJC, Marweg’s wife, Scottie Ann Marweg, described her husband as a giving man. “He helped anybody out,” she said. “He was a loving father and a loving husband, loving brother.”
Aldarondo was a married father of three daughters. Ibarra said he was not only an instructor to Aldarondo, but also became his friend. In his time at Delta, Aldarondo had already been recognized for his work, Ibarra said.
“Accidents happen. You never know,” Ibarra said. “You can be walking and something happen to you. It’s so sad.”
Byron Amos, who chairs the Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee, which oversees the airport, called for a moment of silence at the end of the committee’s meeting Wednesday.
