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Denver airport tragedy: Pedestrian dies after being hit by Frontier Airlines plane, ‘We just hit somebody’
A Frontier Airlines plane struck a pedestrian on the runway at Denver International Airport during takeoff, causing an engine fire and passenger evacuation.
A Frontier Airlines aircraft struck and killed a pedestrian on the runway of Denver International Airport during takeoff, according to airport officials, which ignited an engine fire and necessitated the evacuation of passengers.
The aircraft, traveling from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” as stated on the airport's official X account.
Following the incident, an airport spokesperson confirmed to the Associated Press that the pedestrian, who had breached a perimeter fence, has succumbed to their injuries. They noted that the unidentified person was struck two minutes after entering the airport premises. It is believed that the person was not an employee of the airport.
Frontier Airlines plane's pilot says ‘We just hit somebody’
“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot told the tower as per the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
During the communication, the pilot also informed that they have “231 souls” on board and that and “individual was walking across the runway.”
The air traffic controller states that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot says they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
Here's what Denver airport stated
The Denver airport has assessed the fenceline and determined it to be intact.
Twelve people reported minor injuries, with five of them were shifted to nearby hospitals. The probe into the matter is currently underway.
“Runway 17L remains closed for investigation and we expect it will be open within the next couple hours. We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport stated.
“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline stated. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
