A Frontier Airlines passenger jet struck and killed a pedestrian on a runway at Denver International Airport during a planned takeoff for Los Angeles on Friday night, the airport said in a statement.
The Frontier flight reported striking an individual during takeoff and aborted takeoff. The pedestrian, who was not identified, had jumped the perimeter fence and was struck just two minutes later while crossing the runway, the airport said.
The individual is not believed to be an airport employee, according to the release.
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The incident caused a brief engine fire with smoke in the cabin of the Airbus A321, which was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew, all of whom were evacuated to safety.
Twelve people reported minor injuries and five were transported to local hospitals, the airport said.
Frontier said it was investigating the incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other security authorities.
The airport closed the runway where the incident occurred and hopes to reopen it within a few hours, he said, adding that it also examined the fence crossed by the individual and found it to be intact.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said local police are investigating the incident with support from the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration.
