Pedestrian dies after being hit by US plane on runway
A person who jumped the fence and was on the runway at Denver International Airport died after being hit by a Frontier Airlines plane during takeoff; The collision caused an engine fire that forced the passengers to evacuate.
The flight from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport “reportedly struck a pedestrian during takeoff from DEN on Friday at approximately 11:19 p.m.,” according to a post on the airport’s official X account.
The airport spokesman said the person who jumped from the surrounding fence died. They said the unidentified man was shot two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.
“We’re standing on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower, according to ATC.com.
“We just hit someone. There was a fire in the engine.”
The pilot told the air traffic controller that there were “231 people” on the plane and that “one person was walking on the runway.”
The air traffic controller said they were “rolling the trucks” before the pilot told the tower “there is smoke on the plane. We will evacuate from the runway.”
Frontier Airlines said in a statement that the plane involved in the collision was Flight 4345 and that “smoke was billowing from the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It is not yet known whether the smoke is related to the collision.
The airline said the plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members.
“We are investigating this incident and gathering further information in coordination with the airport and other security authorities,” the airline said.
Passengers were evacuated using slides and the emergency team took them to the terminal by buses. An airport spokesman said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to hospital.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on
He added: “No one should enter an airport without permission.”
The incident occurred a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed on the job at Orlando International Airport. The airline said in a statement that the employee was killed Thursday night, without providing details about the incident or the employee’s name.
“We are focused on providing full support to our family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. “We are working with local authorities as a full investigation continues to determine what happened.”
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