Oh, no, this is so scary!
A tragedy occurred at Denver International Airport on Friday night after a Frontier Airlines flight heading to Los Angeles struck and killed a person on the runway during takeoff just after 11 p.m. local time. In harrowing air traffic controller audio obtained by TMZ, a female air traffic controller can be heard warning her colleagues that a person was seen walking on the runway. Shortly after, they learned that a person had been hit and killed by the plane — with one person noting “limbs” and human remains could be seen on the ground. Awful.
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The airline told TMZ that the Airbus A321 for Frontier Airlines flight 4345 was carrying 224 passengers and 7 crew members at the time. Smoke was seen in the cabin after the person was hit, and everyone was evacuated.
The Denver International Airport released a statement on Saturday morning, revealing that the person “is not believed to be an employee of the airport,” but they have not yet been “identified.” They detailed on social media:
“At approximately 11:19 p.m., Frontier Flight 4345 reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN. Emergency crews responded to the scene. Passengers were bussed to the terminal and the majority have since departed DEN on a new Frontier flight.”
The statement continued:
“DEN can confirm the pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway. The pedestrian is deceased, and is not believed to be an employee of the airport nor have they been identified.”
The airport noted that “the airport has examined the fenceline and found it intact.” They added that “12 people reported minor injuries and 5 of these were transported to local hospitals.” They concluded:
“We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved.”
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The runway has since been reopened. The incident is still under investigation. Truly such a terrible situation. Our condolences to this person’s family and loved ones. R.I.P.
