A Frontier Airlines plane was evacuated on the runway at Denver International Airport after it hit and killed a pedestrian during takeoff late Friday night.
This prompted a response from the National Transportation Safety Board, which is now investigating the incident.
Frontier Flight 4345 was on its way to Los Angeles International Airport when the accident happened around 11:19 p.m. The flight had 224 passengers and seven crew members on board. After the collision, smoke was reported in the cabin, causing the pilots to stop the takeoff and carry out an emergency evacuation using inflatable slides.
Twelve passengers experienced minor injuries during the evacuation, with five of them being taken to nearby hospitals. Passengers described chaotic scenes as smoke filled the cabin and people hurried to get out of the aircraft.
From air traffic control audio, the pilot said, "We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire," and later mentioned to controllers that someone had been walking across the runway.
Officials stated that the individual had jumped over a security fence and walked onto the runway just before being hit. The victim's identity hasn't been released, and they are not thought to have worked at the airport.
The NTSB is currently collecting information to see if this evacuation requires a formal safety investigation, especially since there were reports of some passengers leaving with carry-on bags despite being told to leave their belongings behind.
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