DENVER — Security and safety questions remain after a person was struck and killed on a runway by a departing Frontier flight after the person allegedly trespassed onto Denver International Airport property Friday night.
Security surveillance video of the incident obtained by Denver7 Sunday shows the moment Frontier Airlines flight 4345 struck a pedestrian as the Airbus A320, carrying 231 souls, raced down runway 17L.
Runway 17L sits behind a barbed wire fence, part of 36 miles of secured perimeter designed to keep people out of restricted areas.
► The video below shows the moment just before impact:
The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” according to a post on the airport’s official X account.
An official confirmed to ABC News that "the person was at least partially consumed by one of the engines."
It’s unclear why the person, who has yet to be identified, was on the runway in the first place, but an airport spokesperson said the person jumped a perimeter fence and was struck two minutes later. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.
► Watch Robert Garrison's report in the player below:
The incident is now fueling broader concerns about how easily someone can access restricted airfield space.
Aviation security expert and Metro State University Denver professor Jeff Price told Denver7 that accessing airport grounds is surprisingly easy.
“Airport fencing is not that difficult to overcome. Anybody who's ever seen an airport fence. It's not really that complex. Some airports have more complex fencing than others. TSA standards vary from airport to airport. Dia obviously meets those standards,” Price said.
Price said the goal of the perimeter fencing around an airport is not necessarily to prevent people from trespassing, but more to slow them down.
“It's really there to be a delaying action, a deterrence action, to allow the airport and other personnel to respond if somebody tries to get on the airfield, and then the other reason it's there, and the irony of the situation is to keep people from inadvertently walking onto the airfield from a safety perspective,” he said.
► Watch Jennifer Kovaleski's report in the player below:
While investigators examine the security lapse, new audio reveals the pilot’s immediate reaction.
“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower, according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
Denver Fire Department radio audio captured the first recorded warning at 11:18 p.m.
"Red 1, we have a party walking on runway 17L. We're sending fire,” the audio said.
Just 30 seconds later, another voice on the radio appeared to question the response.
"You have a party walking on the runway, and you're sending in the fire department?” a person said on the fire dispatch audio.
Two minutes after that initial warning, the situation had already turned fatal.
"Runway 17/35R is closed…. I believe the aircraft struck an individual."
After the strike, the plane filled with smoke, prompting the captain to order an evacuation via slides on the runway. Passengers were then bused to the terminal.
Passengers felt the impact from inside the cabin as the jet accelerated down the runway.
Passenger Victoria Lohman described hearing a loud bang.
"We started going down the runway and all of a sudden this huge bang," she said. "Everyone got really frightened and understandably so."
Another passenger, Levi Lynn, described the moment the collision happened.
“Right as I looked out the window, and I could feel the bang, it was like a shock wave, but it was so quick. The fire lasted, I'd say about 10 or 15 seconds, and then it just let itself out. That’s when the smoke really filled the cabin,” Lynn said.
DIA said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals.
► Watch more coverage as Maggy Wolanske speaks with passengers about what they experienced on board:
Former Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen, who spent nearly five years leading the department, said Denver police play a critical role in securing the airport perimeter.
He said the speed of the incident makes it extraordinarily difficult to prevent.
"Trying to maintain security around that large of a footprint is very challenging," Pazen said.
But Pazen said investigators still need to trace how the person reached the fence line in the first place.
"How did this person even get to the point where the fence line was? How did they get there? Through a vehicle? Were they dropped off? How do we trace those steps backward?" Pazen said.
The breach also raises questions about detection technology on DIA’s airfield. The MSU professor said there are systems in place to detect if someone has accessed a runway, which DIA has installed on runway 17L and was actively working the night of the breach, the airport confirmed.
“You could take a look at perimeter intrusion systems that help identify when people are on the field. A lot of airports have those. They are able to respond quicker to those types of incidents,” he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is reviewing the evacuation of the Frontier flight following the strike to determine whether it meets the criteria for a safety investigation.
The NTSB has for years expressed concern about evacuations, especially passengers leaving with their carry-ons. Video of the evacuation showed some passengers coming down the slide with what looked to be their carry-on bags.
On Sunday, airport authorities released a statement, calling the incident a “horrible and preventable tragedy," and emphasized that safety remains its top priority.
"Denver International Airport is continuing to gather information about the incident that occurred with Frontier flight 4345 this past Friday night. We know there are questions to be answered still. As this is an active investigation with numerous other agencies involved, it is going to take some time as we are still confirming what information we can share at this time. This was a horrible and preventable tragedy that has affected many due to the actions of one person who apparently trespassed at an airport and lost their life as a result. Safety is paramount in everything we do in aviation and at DEN we want to make sure we have all the facts before information is released," statement read.
In a statement Monday, the FAA said airlines "should re-evaluate their emergency evacuation procedures, flight-crew training, announcements and commands to ensure passengers understand they must leave carry-on items behind during an emergency evacuation."
The FAA is also now investigating the incident, a spokesperson for the agency said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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