Trespasser killed after ‘being sucked into plane engine’ on runway

A trespasser died after he was sucked into a plane’s engine as it prepared to take off, airport authorities said.

The unidentified person reportedly jumped the fence at Denver International Airport in Colorado and was hit and killed by the Frontier Airlines plane within two minutes.

The collision, which happened as Flight 4345 prepared to depart for Los Angeles International Airport, sparked an engine fire and forced passengers to evacuate the plane.

As the incident unfolded, the plane’s pilot told the airport’s control tower ‘we’re stopping on the runway’ because they had ‘just hit somebody’ which had caused ‘an engine fire’, according to the site ATC.com.

The pilot then explained that there were 224 passengers and seven crew aboard the plane and that the individual was ‘walking across the runway’ when they were hit.

In response, the air traffic controller said the airport is ‘rolling the trucks now’ before the pilot explained that smoke had entered the aircraft and they are going to ‘evacuate on the runway’.

Part of this evacuation was caught on mobile phone footage and showed people getting their bags, some of whom are wearing masks, as they prepare to exit the plane.

Later shots showed numerous passengers outside the plane while others descended from the plane down inflatable slides.

Footage from inside the plane shows people trying to get out (Picture: CNN)

Children can be seen in the background as a member of staff tells the passengers that they ‘need to all move away from the aircraft’.

In a statement released afterwards, Frontier Airlines said the collision only involved one person and the takeoff was aborted after smoke was reported in the cabin.

It remains unclear if the smoke was linked to the collision.

‘We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities,’ the statement added.

After being safely evacuated from the plane via slides, passengers were bused to the terminal.

An airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to hospital.

One passenger, Jacob Anthens, posted video on his Facebook page showing people sliding down inflatable slides with their backpacks. He also posted photos of what looked like a damaged engine.

‘As we were lifting off the engine of the plane exploded. There was so much smoke we couldn’t even see 1 ft in front of us,’ Jacob said as he recorded the footage.

A figure is seen as the plane prepares to take off (Picture: CNN)

He explained that spent over an hour on the runway without ‘transport or help with the cold’.

Other video shows passengers calmly walking down the aisle of the plane and using the slide to evacuate. They were told to step away from the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation and temporarily closed runway 17L, where the incident took place.

It reopened at around 11am yesterday.

The incident came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport.

In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed on Thursday night without providing further details.

‘We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,’ the airline said.

‘We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.’

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