\n<\/p>\n
A man died after being struck on the runway by a Frontier Airlines plane taking off from Denver International Airport late Friday night, officials said.<\/p>\n
After receiving information about the engine fire, the pilots aborted the flight and the plane was evacuated.<\/p>\n
The Airbus A321 jet, with 224 passengers and seven crew members on board, was headed to Los Angeles International Airport on Flight 4345 when the collision occurred, according to statements from Frontier and the Federal Aviation Administration.<\/p>\n
Frontier said smoke was reported from inside the plane and passengers were evacuated using emergency slides as a precaution.<\/p>\n
The FAA said in a statement Saturday morning that the plane “struck a person on Runway 17L” during takeoff and that the agency was investigating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Denver Airport also said in a statement Saturday morning that the man who was killed had jumped over the airport’s perimeter fence and was struck minutes later while crossing the runway. The man, who has not been identified, is not believed to be an airport employee, the statement said.<\/p>\n
The airport said it had checked its fence line following the intrusion and found it to be intact and that it planned to conduct a full investigation of the incident in the coming days. <\/p>\n
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the man killed as a trespasser who “breached airport security at Denver International Airport, intentionally broke a perimeter fence, and ran onto the runway.”<\/p>\n
A recording posted by the ATC.com app, which broadcasts air traffic radio, captured pilots describing the incident. “We’re stalling on the runway,” a pilot told the air traffic control tower. “We just hit someone. Our engine caught fire.” Later, a pilot reported to the tower that “a person was walking on the runway.”<\/p>\n
The crew informed air traffic control that they were landing the plane on the runway due to smoke inside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Denver Airport said in a statement that the incident occurred around 11:20 p.m. and firefighters extinguished the fire in the plane’s engine. It said passengers were taken back to the terminal by bus. The airport said 12 people suffered minor injuries and five were taken to nearby hospitals.<\/p>\n
According to this, the plane suddenly stopped on the runway soon after accelerating for take-off. a data replay<\/a> From tracking website Flightradar24.<\/p>\n Frontier is headquartered in Denver. Both the airline and the airport said an investigation was ongoing. The airport said the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified.<\/p>\n In a statement, the NTSB said it was working with the FAA and local agencies to gather information.<\/p>\n