FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A 41-year-old man struck and killed by a plane in a fiery collision at Denver International Airport was intending to end his own life when he scaled an 8-foot fence and walked onto a runway — a security breach that airport personnel initially missed, authorities said Tuesday.
The collision underscores the longstanding challenge of keeping intruders out of major airports such as Denver's, which sprawls across 53 square miles (138 square kilometers), twice the size of Manhattan.
The trespasser triggered an alarm as he crossed into the airport in a remote area about 2 miles from the terminal late Friday night. But security personnel mistakenly attributed that alarm to a herd of deer that was nearby.
No note from the victim was recovered and officials determined the cause of death to be suicide based on their postmortem examination, said Sterling McLaren, chief medical examiner for the city and county of Denver. She did not provide further details.
The collision involving the Frontier Airlines plane sparked an engine fire that forced passengers to evacuate. Twelve people sustained minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals. Four have since been released, said airport Chief Executive Officer Phillip Washington.
A black-and-white video released by the airport shows, from a distance, 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 is seen speeding past. It strikes the person with its right engine, which bursts into flame upon impact.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org
Passengers were evacuated via slides.
Federal officials notified the airport
A few minutes before the man scaled the fence, a ground-based radar system activated in the area, triggering an alarm. An airport worker checked a surveillance camera and saw a herd of deer in the same area but did not initially see the trespasser, Washington said.
Source: WPLG
