An individual who breached the security perimeter of Denver International Airport in the United States was fatally struck by an airplane. A tragic incident at the airport. The person crossed the security perimeter and was hit by a plane shortly after, as it was about to take off, the airport announced on Saturday. “The pedestrian breached the fence of the perimeter and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway. The pedestrian has been declared dead, they are not believed to be an airport employee, and their identity has not yet been established,” the airport said in a statement. The accident involved a Frontier airline plane and occurred around 11:19 pm local time on Friday. Among the passengers of the flight, “twelve people reported minor injuries, and five of them were transported to local hospitals,” the airport reported.
Minister of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that an investigation has been launched to shed light on this accident that raises security questions. “NO ONE should EVER enter an airport without permission,” he emphasized in a social media post. An audio recording released on ATC.com revealed an exchange between a pilot and air traffic controllers: “We are stopping on the runway, we just hit someone, we have an engine fire… There was a person crossing the runway.” According to a statement from Frontier Airlines, “smoke was reported in the cabin, and the pilots aborted takeoff. Passengers were then safely evacuated using the slides as a precaution.” The aircraft, an Airbus A321, had 224 passengers and seven crew members on board, according to Frontier.
