Man Dies After Being Struck by Frontier Airlines Plane During Takeoff in Denver
Al Jazeera Staff
A man died after climbing a security fence at Denver International Airport and being struck by a Frontier Airlines plane during takeoff. The incident happened late Sunday, and authorities are investigating. The collision caused a small engine fire, and 12 people on board were injured.
A man died after climbing over a security fence at Denver International Airport in Colorado and being struck by a Frontier Airlines plane. The incident occurred late Sunday, according to authorities.
Investigators said the man breached the fence and was hit by the aircraft just two minutes later as he crossed the runway. Officials said the man was not an airport employee.
The collision caused a small engine fire, which was quickly extinguished by emergency crews. Of the 231 people on board, 12 sustained minor injuries, and five were hospitalized.
The airport said it inspected the fence where the man crossed and found it intact. Local investigators and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are probing the incident.
The incident raises questions about airport safety in the U.S., following the prolonged Department of Homeland Security shutdown earlier this year that forced security staff and air traffic controllers to work without pay. A day earlier, a Delta employee died at Orlando International Airport after an airport vehicle hit a passenger bridge. In March, two pilots died when an Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Denver International Airport handles about 225,000 passengers daily.
