There was horror onboard a Frontier Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles when it struck and killed a person walking on the runway at Denver International Airport on Friday night.
Denver International Airport released a statement confirming that a person ‘jumped the perimeter fence’ near the runway and was hit two minutes later.
The individual is dead and has not been identified, though officials do not believe they were an employee of the airport.
The person was at least partially consumed by one of the engines, an official confirmed to ABC News.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy described the person who was hit as a ‘trespasser’ who breached airport security before deliberately scaling the fence. Officials who examined the fence said it was intact.
Videos posted to social media showed the cabin of Frontier Flight 4345, an Airbus A321, getting filled with smoke while all passengers were being forced to evacuate via the emergency slides.
There was at least 12 minor injuries on board the aircraft, which collided with the unknown person on the runway at about 11.19pm local time.
Five people on board were transported to local hospitals, while the rest of the passengers were taken to the terminal and have since left on a new Frontier flight.
A Frontier Airlines flight collided with a pedestrian during takeoff at Denver International Airport on Friday night. The aftermath of the crash is pictured
A child escapes to safety by sliding down the emergency slide of the aircraft after the collision on Runway 17L
Pictured: Passengers, including children, huddle near the engine. It is unclear if the pedestrian struck this engine or the one on the other side of the aircraft
Flight radar shows the plane stopped moments after beginning takeoff. Air traffic control audio from ATC.com picked up the pilot reporting the collision and the ensuing engine fire
Passengers lingered around the engine and at the base of the slide while crew members told them to back away from the aircraft, according to the videos.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Frontier Airlines confirmed the event and said it was investigating what happened.
Air traffic control audio from ATC.com picked up the crew speaking about the incident.
‘Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway. Uh, we just hit somebody… we have an engine fire,’ the pilot was heard saying.
When asked how many people were on board, the pilot said: ‘We have 231 souls on board… There was an individual walking across the runway.’
The pilot then said there was smoke on the aircraft and that they’d need to evacuate the passengers and crew.
The Denver Fire Department responded to the scene and put out the fire.
Frontier and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. The National Transportation Safety Board is also aware of the incident.
Runway 17L, where the collision occurred, will remain closed as authorities canvas the scene. The airport expects it will be reopened in several hours.
