A 41-year-old man who was struck and killed by a plane taking off at Denver International Airport had intended to end his own life after scaling a remote fence and walking onto the runway, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
Medical Examiner's Findings
Sterling McLaren, chief medical examiner for the city and county of Denver, stated that no suicide note was recovered. Officials determined the cause of death to be suicide based on their post-mortem examination, though no further details were provided.
Collision and Evacuation
The collision involving a Frontier Airlines plane ignited an engine fire, forcing passengers to evacuate via emergency slides. An airport spokesperson reported that 12 people sustained minor injuries, with five taken to hospitals.
Video footage released by the airport shows a tiny figure walking toward the runway with arms swaying. The person crosses onto the runway at a slight angle, and seconds later, the plane speeds past, appearing to strike the individual with its right engine, which bursts into flames upon impact.
Perimeter Security Concerns
Breaches of airport perimeters by trespassers are a longstanding issue, occurring regularly—perhaps dozens of times annually nationwide, according to security expert Jeff Price, who served as assistant director of security at Denver airport in the 1990s. Denver International Airport, located northeast of the city center, is surrounded by about 36 miles of perimeter fence, which airport officials say is continuously inspected.
Price noted that most airport trespassers are intoxicated or simply “messing around just to see if they could do it,” typically posing no real threat. However, Denver also sees rare individuals who jump the fence seeking to prove conspiracy theories about a UFO base at the airport.
“It's really not that difficult to jump an airport perimeter fence,” Price said. “They meet the standards for TSA, but the standards are not that robust.” The fences are typically 6 to 8 feet tall with barbed wire at the top, approved by federal inspectors without set construction rules. Major airports like Denver also have intrusion detection systems, including cameras and motion sensors, with some detecting seismic impacts from people dropping to the ground.
Incident Details
The person was killed on the airport’s easternmost north-south runway, at least 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from any airport buildings. Empty fields and croplands surround the airport in most directions, and distant trees and structures in the video indicate the person was heading toward the airport when crossing the runway.
The Transportation Security Administration oversees airport security programs, including perimeter requirements. Separately, the National Transportation Safety Board is gathering information about the evacuation. An investigation will be launched if injuries meet the agency's definition for “serious,” which includes hospitalization for more than 48 hours, broken bones, or severe burns.
Frontier Airlines declined to answer questions about the accident and evacuation, referring inquiries to airport authorities. The plane, en route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at about 11:19 p.m. on Friday. Pilots aborted takeoff, and smoke was reported in the cabin.
Some passengers expressed concern about the evacuation, including being stuck in the plane for several minutes as smoke filled the cabin and being left on the tarmac in the cold. Video also showed some passengers carrying what appeared to be carry-on bags while descending the slides.
