United States: pedestrian dies after being struck by a plane during takeoff

Frontier Airlines Jet Collides with Person on Tarmac in Denver

• A Frontier Airlines flight collided with a person on the tarmac in Denver, United States, on Friday, May 8 in the evening.
• The airport management confirmed on Saturday that “the pedestrian crossed the perimeter fence and was hit barely two minutes later while crossing the runway.”
• About a dozen injuries were reported among the people on board, with five being hospitalized.

Rescue teams responded immediately. A person died Friday night in Denver, United States, after a collision with a Frontier Airlines flight taking off from Los Angeles. “The pedestrian crossed the perimeter fence and was hit barely two minutes later while crossing the runway,” the airport management stated, clarifying that the victim has been identified. “It appears to not be an airport employee, and their identity has not been established yet,” it added in a series of messages published on Saturday.

The tragedy unfolded “around 11:19 p.m.” local time. “We stop on the runway, we just hit someone, we have an engine fire… There was a person crossing the runway,” a pilot informed air traffic controllers, an audio recording on ATC.com revealed. The aircraft, an Airbus A321, was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, according to Frontier. They were all evacuated “safely via slides as a precaution,” the airline stated to the media, including CNN.

Twelve people suffered “minor injuries,” five of whom were “transported to local hospitals,” Denver airport added, noting that most passengers have been able to proceed on a new Frontier flight. An investigation will determine how this incident occurred. The perimeter fence was “inspected” and deemed “intact.” The affected runway was expected to reopen “in the next few hours.”

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TF1info editorial team with AFP