A Frontier Airlines jet fatally struck a person on a runway at Denver International Airport late Friday night while taking off for Los Angeles, triggering an engine fire and forcing 224 passengers and seven crew members to evacuate the aircraft.
The incident occurred shortly after 11:00 p.m. local time on Runway 17L, according to the airline. The person struck was at least partially consumed by one of the engines, an official confirmed to ABC News, causing a brief engine fire. Air traffic control audio obtained by ABC News captured the pilots reporting the fire and smoke inside the cabin immediately after impact.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that the victim had breached airport security, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran onto the active runway. The plane was traveling at high speed during takeoff when the collision occurred. Preliminary reports indicate 12 people were injured and five were taken to hospitals, Duffy said.
Passenger Iga Zadzilko described the moment of impact from inside the cabin. "We immediately stopped. People started like crying, shouting -- no one knew what happened," Zadzilko said, adding they saw smoke inside the cabin. A flight attendant directed passengers to evacuate. Zadzilko said passengers then waited on the runway outside for approximately an hour before being bused back to the terminal. Frontier offered those aboard either a 6:00 a.m. replacement flight or a full refund.
Despite the chaos, Zadzilko said the crew kept the situation from spiraling. "Mentally, everyone I feel like is stressed and anxious," she said, but also commended the pilot and flight attendants "and even people on board — they kept calm as long as they could in that situation. So overall, we are very lucky."
The National Transportation Safety Board was notified and Runway 17L remained closed Saturday while the investigation continued. A source briefed on the incident told ABC News that airport security was inspecting the east perimeter fence Saturday morning for gaps. The person struck did not appear to be connected to construction work occurring on a parallel runway.
Local law enforcement is leading the investigation into how the perimeter was breached, with support from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration, Duffy said. Frontier Airlines said it was "deeply saddened by this event" and is cooperating with airport and safety authorities.
