Sky Harbor drill-rig worker’s body is recovered

Crews on Thursday recovered the body of a drill-rig operator who went missing Monday after the equipment collapsed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the Phoenix Fire Department confirmed.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Capt. Rob McDade said Thursday evening.

McDade said the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Phoenix Police Department would be in charge of the investigation moving forward.

Construction crews completed excavating the collapsed area Wednesday, allowing vacuum trucks to operate safely and remove more dirt from the collapse site, officials said.

The hole had grown to 75 feet wide and about 22 feet deep as of Wednesday evening as a result of the continuing work, Phoenix fire officials said.

Crews removed 50 tons of dirt from the site with multiple vacuum trucks as of Wednesday night after bringing in a backhoe to clear more area, officials said.

“The ground is really unstable,” Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Larry Subervi said Wednesday. “Every time you dig sand out, more sand continues to fall in, that’s what we’re dealing with because the ground is so loose and not compacted.”

Although the drill-rig operator’s name has not been released, the city of Phoenix Aviation Department and the construction company have been in close contact with the family, Subervi said.

“I think that most people can sympathize with the situation, the waiting game is the worst,” Subervi said. “We have a lot of dedicated people, we have about 100 people on site that are working diligently to try to do the recovery and to do the best we can for the family and for the victim as well.”

Officials shifted from a rescue to recovery operation Tuesday given the amount of time elapsed from the initial incident and eyewitness accounts. Construction workers were able to safely remove the drill rig from the collapsed hole Tuesday, fire officials said.

The incident occurred just south of Sky Harbor Boulevard, near the West Economy parking lot and west of terminals 3 and 4. The site was on Sky Harbor property, as construction is being done for the PHX Sky Train.