The pedestrian who was hit and killed by a Frontier plane at the Denver International Airport Friday night breached airport security and ran onto the runway, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday.
The plane hit the unidentified person during takeoff at high speed, he said.
“DEN can confirm the pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway,” the airport said on social media. “The pedestrian is deceased and [was] not believed to be an employee of the airport. … We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved.”
The person killed was struck and “at least partially consumed” by one of the plane’s engines, ABC News reported.
The collision caused an engine fire, with the pilot stopping takeoff procedures immediately and forcing passengers to evacuate while law enforcement and firefighters responded.
The plane “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” the airport said on social media, adding that it “has examined the fenceline and found it to be intact.”
“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” Frontier Airlines said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
After the incident, the pilot told the airport’s control tower, “We’re stopping on the runway,” according to ATC.com, a site with live air traffic control communications. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
The Denver Fire Department promptly extinguished the engine fire, the airport said.
The plane’s pilots told the tower amid the incident that they had “smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
It is unclear whether the smoke was linked to the collision.
Passengers were evacuated onto the runway via slides and were bused to the terminal by the emergency crew.
Mr. Duffy said 12 people were hurt and five were taken to the hospital.
“We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities,” the airline said. “We are deeply saddened by this event.”
“Emergency response and investigation are ongoing,” the airport said. “The [National Transportation Safety Board] has been notified. Runway 17L will remain closed while the investigation is conducted.”
“Local law enforcement handles airport security and is investigating with support from the @FAANews and TSA,” Mr. Duffy said on social media. “No one should EVER trespass on an airport.”
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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