“We hit someone”: Airbus A321 hits a person during take-off, engine fire and smoke on board

A Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 struck and killed a person while taking off on the runway at Denver International Airport, in the United States. The impact triggered a fire in one of the engines, forcing …

Jack Williams

Written by: Jack Williams

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"We hit someone": Airbus A321 hits a person during take-off, engine fire and smoke on board

A Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 struck and killed a person while taking off on the runway at Denver International Airport, in the United States. The impact triggered a fire in one of the engines, forcing the pilots to abort the maneuver and start emergency procedures to evacuate the 231 people on board.

The dynamics

According to initial reconstructions provided by the airport authorities and confirmed by Transport Secretary Sean Duffy, the victim is believed to be a man who, shortly before 11.20pm on Friday (local time), climbed over the airport’s perimeter fence and deliberately ran towards runway 17L. The aircraft, headed for Los Angeles and in full acceleration, hit the man, leaving him no escape. The victim’s details are not known, but Duffy explicitly spoke of an “intruder” who would have breached the security systems.

Emergency on board

Immediately after the impact, the commander communicated the state of emergency to the control tower: “We are stopping on the runway. We have hit someone and we have a fire in the engine.”

Within moments smoke invaded the cabin, prompting the crew to order immediate evacuation via the emergency slides. The 224 passengers and 7 crew members were rescued and transported to the terminal by buses. The toll speaks of 12 injured. Five of them were taken to hospital for checks.

The investigations

The Transport Safety Authority (NTSB) has launched an investigation to shed light on the dynamics of the accident and above all on the safety flaw that allowed the man to reach the runway. “No one should ever trespass into an airport,” Duffy said in a statement, adding that the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration will support local law enforcement in the investigation.

Jack Williams

Jack Williams

Jack Williams established himself as the editor-in-chief of The Vermilion with rigorous journalistic traits and an incessant quest for truth. His career began as an investigative reporter, where he quickly gained a reputation for his in-depth research and insightful articles. Williams takes his role at The Vermilion very seriously. Since he became editor-in-chief, he has set an editorial line based on impartiality, factual accuracy, and context relevance; this has established The Vermilion as a reference for political, economic, and global news. Under his leadership, the media continues its mission of reporting news with accuracy and equanimity, giving a voice to those who are often overlooked by large-scale media. Jack dedicates himself to fulfilling this mandate with passion, rigour, and unwavering determination.

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