Plane hits and kills pedestrian during takeoff at Denver airport
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A person who jumped a perimeter fence and was hit by an airplane taking off from Denver International Airport died in the incident, the airport said Saturday.
Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 aborted takeoff after hitting the person at about 11:19 pm Friday night (0519 GMT Saturday), the airport said.
“DEN can confirm that the pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway,” the statement said.
“The pedestrian is deceased, and is not believed to be an employee of the airport nor have they been identified,” it said.
The person hit “was at least partially consumed by one of the engines,” ABC News reported citing an unidentified official.
The plane was quickly evacuated and 12 passengers on the flight reported minor injuries; five were transported to local hospitals, the airport said.
The Airbus A321, bound for Los Angeles, was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, according to Frontier.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that local law enforcement was investigating.
“Late last night, a trespasser breached airport security at Denver Int’l Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway” and was struck by the plane “during takeoff at a high speed,” Duffy said in a post on X.
“No one should EVER trespass on an airport,” Duffy wrote.
The airport has examined the fence line and found it to be intact, it said.
“We’re stopping on the runway, we just hit somebody, we have an engine fire… There was an individual walking across the runway,” a pilot told air traffic controllers, according to audio from ATC.com.
The Denver Fire Department said that a brief engine fire was extinguished after the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and runway 17L at Denver International Airport will remain closed during the investigation.
“We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities,” Frontier Airlines said. “We are deeply saddened by this event.”
