A Delta Air Lines ground worker was killed at Orlando International Airport late Thursday night after a tug – the heavy vehicle used to push and tow commercial aircraft – collided with a passenger boarding bridge.
The FAA confirmed the tug struck the bridge where Delta Flight 2593 was parked at around 10:55 p.m. local time.
The aircraft involved was a Delta Airbus A321 parked at the gate at the time of the collision.
The Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Daniel Maldonado, 49, and listed the cause of death as multiple blunt-impact injuries.
Family identified Maldonado, known as Danny, as a 30-year Delta veteran who had been with the airline since the age of 19.
Friends say he spent the bulk of his career at MCO working as a ramp agent.
The Orlando Police Department confirmed it is conducting a death investigation, with preliminary information suggesting the incident was accidental in nature. The investigation is taking place within the airside terminal and is having minimal impact on airport operations, and OPD says it is withholding additional details to protect the integrity of the inquiry and out of respect for those involved.
How Operations Were Affected the Night of the Crash
Passengers were deplaned safely via rear airstairs after the jet bridge was put out of service by the collision.
white airplane parked during daytime
The flight in question was DL2593, bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and was already running close to three hours behind schedule when the accident occurred, per Flightradar24 data. Delta paused operations at its Orlando station while local authorities began their investigation, canceling one flight and rebooking affected passengers on other services before normal operations resumed the following afternoon.
On top of this cancellation, scores of other MCO flights were delayed, and a handful of aircraft already airborne diverted to alternate airports.
Delta claims safety is its top priority and says it is cooperating fully with investigators. “The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of a team member while on the job at Orlando International Airport on the evening of May 7,” a company spokesperson added, saying the airline is “focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time.”
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority offered its condolences on behalf of the airport community, saying it is “deeply saddened about the loss of a team member from one of our airline partners, a member of our extended airport family,” and sending condolences to his family and friends.
OSHA, the federal body responsible for workforce safety investigations, had been contacted by press at the time of initial reporting. No response from the agency had been received.
The incident echoes a January 2025 accident at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in which an American Airlines employee was killed after being struck by a tug vehicle – a reminder that ground-level airport operations carry real and persistent risk, even on an otherwise unremarkable Thursday night.