A trespasser died after he was pulled into a plane’s engine as it was preparing to take off, according to airport authorities.
The unidentified person scaled the fence at Denver International Airport in Colorado and was struck and killed by the Frontier Airlines plane within two minutes.
The incident, which occurred as Flight 4345 prepared to take off for Los Angeles International Airport, caused an engine fire and forced passengers to evacuate the plane.
During the incident, the plane’s pilot informed the airport’s control tower ‘we’re stopping on the runway’ because they had ‘just hit somebody,’ which had caused ‘an engine fire,’ according to ATC.com.
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The pilot went on to state that there were 224 passengers and seven crew members on the plane and that the person was ‘walking across the runway’ when they were hit.
In response, the air traffic controller said the airport is ‘dispatching emergency trucks now’ before the pilot stated that smoke had entered the aircraft and they were going to ‘evacuate on the runway’.
Part of this evacuation was captured on mobile phone footage showing people gathering their bags, some wearing masks, as they prepared to leave the plane.
Later footage showed many passengers outside the plane while others descended down inflatable slides.
Children are visible in the background as a staff member instructs the passengers that they ‘need to all move away from the aircraft’.
In a statement released later, Frontier Airlines confirmed the collision involved only one person and that smoke was reported in the cabin, prompting the aborted takeoff.
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It remains unclear if the smoke was related to the collision.
‘We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities,’ the statement noted.
After safely evacuating the plane via slides, passengers were transported by bus to the terminal.
An airport spokesperson stated that 12 passengers sustained minor injuries and five were taken to the hospital.
One passenger, Jacob Anthens, shared a video on his Facebook page depicting people sliding down inflatable slides with their backpacks. He also posted photos showing what appeared to be a damaged engine.
‘As we were taking off, the engine of the plane exploded. There was so much smoke we couldn’t even see 1 foot in front of us,’ Jacob commented as he recorded the footage.
He explained that they spent over an hour on the runway without ‘transport or help with the cold’.
Additional video footage shows passengers calmly walking down the aisle of the plane and using the slide to evacuate. They were instructed to move away from the plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board commenced an investigation and temporarily closed runway 17L, where the incident occurred.
It reopened at approximately 11 a.m. yesterday.
The incident occurred one day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on duty at Orlando International Airport.
In a statement, the airline reported the employee’s death on Thursday night without providing further details.
‘We are focused on offering our full support to the family and caring for our Orlando team during this challenging time,’ the airline stated.
‘We are collaborating with local authorities as a full investigation is underway to determine what transpired.’
Lifestyle & Culture Editor
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