A man tragically lost his life after being hit by a Frontier Airlines plane during takeoff at Denver International Airport on Friday night.
The event occurred as Frontier Flight 4345 was getting ready to leave for Los Angeles International Airport. According to ABC News, the individual was allegedly walking on the runway when the plane struck them during its ascent. Air traffic control audio recorded the moment when the pilot notified the tower about the emergency.
“Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway… Uh, we just hit somebody… we have an engine fire,” the pilot stated, as reported by VT.
The pilot further mentioned: “We’ve got smoke on the aircraft, we’re gonna evacuate on the runway.”
When inquired about the number of people on board, the pilot reportedly replied: “We have 231 souls on board… There was an individual walking across the runway.”
He was drawn into one of the aircraft’s engines.
ABC News indicated that the person was at least partially drawn into one of the aircraft’s engines, which supposedly ignited a fire. Over 200 passengers were evacuated from the plane using emergency slides while crews attended to the situation. The travelers were subsequently taken back to the terminal by bus.
The Denver Fire Department managed to put out the fire, and the flight was eventually canceled before being rescheduled for Saturday morning. In a statement issued Friday night, Frontier Airlines acknowledged the incident.
“As flight 4345 was departing this evening from Denver International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, the aircraft reportedly struck a pedestrian on the runway during takeoff,” the airline stated.
Smoke was detected in the cabin, prompting the pilots to cancel the takeoff.
Passengers were subsequently evacuated safely using slides as a precautionary measure.
This event has left us deeply saddened.
The airline mentioned that the Airbus A321 was transporting 224 passengers along with seven crew members at that time.
Frontier stated, “We are looking into this incident and collecting more information in collaboration with the airport and other safety authorities. We are truly saddened by this event.”
At least one passenger reportedly sustained a minor injury during the evacuation. In the meantime, a source familiar with the situation informed ABC News that airport security officials were examining the east perimeter fence on Saturday morning for any potential breaches.
The individual who was injured is not thought to be associated with the construction work occurring near a nearby runway.
The Denver Police Department is aiding in the investigation, although officials have indicated they cannot provide further details while the investigation is ongoing.
