A passenger jet struck and killed a pedestrian on the runway at Denver International Airport during a planned take-off for Los Angeles late on Friday, the airport said.
Pilots on the Frontier Airlines flight reported striking an individual during take-off and aborted the flight's departure. The pedestrian, who has not been identified, jumped the perimeter fence and was hit while crossing the runway, the airport said.
The individual is not believed to be an airport employee, the airport said.
The incident caused a brief engine fire that produced smoke in the cabin on the Airbus A321 flight carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, all of whom were deplaned safely.
Twelve people reported minor injuries and five were taken to hospital, the airport said.
Frontier said it was investigating the incident and gathering more information in co-ordination with the airport and other safety authorities.
The airport closed the runway following the incident and expects to reopen it in a few hours, it said, adding that it also examined the fence the individual jumped over, and found it to be intact.
US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said local police were investigating the incident with support from federal aviation personnel and the Transportation Security Administration.
