An apparent trespasser who was fatally struck by a Frontier Airlines plane at a Colorado airport on Saturday was seen calmly walking across the runway while the aircraft barreled toward them, according to new surveillance footage.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was sucked into one of the engines of the Airbus A321neo mid-takeoff at Denver International Airport.
The person had jumped the perimeter fence and was on the tarmac when they were mowed down at 11:19 p.m., the airport confirmed.
KHOU11
New security video released by the City and County of Denver shows the horrifying moment the person was struck while walking on the runway.
The victim can be seen walking from one end to the other with little urgency. They appeared to be perfectly aligned with one of the plane’s engines when part of their upper body was sucked inside, according to the harrowing footage.
The collision occurred roughly two minutes after the individual hopped the fence, KHOU 11 reported. The plane was moving at 139 mph at the time of the crash, according to FlightAware.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asserted that the “trespasser breached security” and “ran out onto the runway.”
“No one should EVER trespass on an airport,” Duffy wrote on X.
Passenger John Anthens, who was on the plane with his sons, was looking out the window when he saw “the legs of a human spinning around in the engine.”
“The majority of people didn’t know what was going on or what happened, but there was just a big explosion and, obviously, when you hear a big explosion, people start screaming, kids are crying and it was horrific,” Anthens told The Post.
The nose of the plane jerked upward on impact as a “bomb”-like explosion rattled the cabin, Anthens said.
The engine burst into flames moments later as passengers remained in their seats at the flight attendants’ behest.
