An alleged violator of security at Denver International Airport was struck and killed by a taking-off Frontier Airlines plane Friday night, sparking an engine fire and a chaotic emergency evacuation that injured several passengers.The Frontier flight from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport struck a pedestrian as it took off around 11:19 p.m. local time on Friday, the airport said in a post on X.Horrifying video of the incident later went viral.Airport officials said the unidentified person jumped a fence and entered the runway area just minutes before the collision.Authorities said the person, who is not believed to be an airport employee, was attacked about two minutes after entering the airport, the Associated Press reported.
Pilot reports engine fire after collision
An audio clip from ATC.com captured the pilot notifying air traffic control immediately after the impact.“We’re parked on the runway,” the pilot said. “We just hit a guy. Our engine is on fire.”The pilot later told controllers there were “231 people” on the plane and “one person was crossing the runway.”Air traffic control responded and said emergency crews were being dispatched.The pilot then reported smoke coming from inside the aircraft and informed the tower that passengers would be evacuated on the runway.Frontier Airlines stated that flight 4345 was related to the incident and confirmed that the takeoff was aborted after smoke was detected in the cabin. The airline said the plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members.“We are investigating the incident and coordinating with the airport and other security agencies to gather additional information,” the Associated Press quoted a statement from Frontier as saying.
Passengers describe panic in smoke-filled cabin
Passengers were evacuated from the aircraft via emergency slides and then returned to the terminal by bus. Airport officials said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to hospital.Several passengers told local media that the plane suddenly stopped and smoke began to appear in the cabin, and panic quickly spread.“Honestly, I thought I was going to die,” passenger Mohamed Hassan told 9NEWS Colorado.“A lot of people next to me were screaming and crying. I just closed my eyes,” he said. “At that point, you’re not really thinking about anything, you know? Because we were about to take off and I heard a boom.”Another passenger, Nikil Thalanki, said he felt violent shaking as the plane appeared to be preparing to take off.“The engine was on fire. There were a lot of sparks. It stopped immediately,” he told local media, according to the Associated Press.“Smoke completely filled the cabin. It was very difficult to breathe.”Kimberly Randall also described the chaos during the evacuation.“After a few minutes, they finally opened the door. People were running out of the plane,” Randall said. “There’s chaos everywhere.”
NTSB reviews evacuation response
The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday it was gathering information to determine whether the evacuation required a formal safety investigation.NTSB spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said the agency is reviewing details about the emergency response, including passenger evacuation procedures.Video from the scene appeared to show some passengers leaving the plane with carry-on luggage, an issue the National Transportation Safety Board has repeatedly flagged during previous evacuation investigations.The Denver Police Department said the investigation into the track death is ongoing and the identity of the deceased will be released by the Denver Medical Examiner’s Office.Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington called the incident a “terrible but preventable tragedy.”“Because this is an active investigation involving numerous other agencies, it will take some time as we are still confirming what information can be shared at this time,” Washington said in a statement.“This was a horrific, preventable tragedy that affected so many people due to the actions of a man who apparently broke into an airport and lost his life as a result.”