Man who caused crash at Denver airport died by suicide, officials say

A 41-year-old man who scaled a remote fence and walked onto a runway at Denver International Airport was intending to end his life when he was struck and killed by a departing aircraft, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

Sterling McLaren, the chief medical examiner for the city and county of Denver, stated that the cause of death was determined to be suicide following a post-mortem examination. No note was recovered, and further details were not provided.

The collision, involving a Frontier Airlines plane, ignited an engine fire, necessitating the evacuation of passengers.

Airport officials released black-and-white video footage showing a small figure, from a distance, walking with swaying arms toward the runway.

In the footage, the person crosses onto the runway at a slight angle and seconds later the plane is seen speeding past. It appears to strike the person with its right engine, which bursts into flame upon impact.

Passengers were evacuated via slides. An airport spokesperson said 12 people sustained minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals.

Breaches of airport perimeters by trespassers is a longstanding problem that happen regularly, perhaps dozens annually nationwide, said security expert Jeff Price, who assistant director of security at the Denver airport in the 1990s. Denver International Airport is located northeast of the city center and surrounded by about 36 miles of perimeter fence, which airport officials say is continuously inspected.

The vast majority of airport trespassers are intoxicated or simply “messing around just to see if they could do it,” said Price, adding that they typically don't post a real threat. Denver also gets the rare individual who will jump the fence seeking to prove a long-running conspiracy theory about a UFO base being based at the airport, he said.

The Transportation Security Administration oversees airport security programs, including perimeter security requirements.

“It's really not that difficult to jump an airport perimeter fence,” Price said. “They meet the standards for TSA, but the standards are not that robust.”

The fences are typically 6 to 8 feet tall with barbed wire at the top, he said. They must be approved by federal inspectors, but there are no set rules on their construction. Major airports such as Denver also have intrusion detection systems that include cameras and motion sensors. he said. Some systems detect the seismic impact of people dropping to the ground, Price said.

Airport authorities said they use technology to monitor the perimeter, but did not provide details.

The person was killed on the airport’s easternmost north-south runway and at least 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from any airport buildings. Empty fields and croplands surround Denver International Airport in most directions. Distant trees and structures in the video showed that the person was headed toward the airport when they crossed the runway.

The Transportation Security Administration has regulatory oversight of airport security programs, including perimeter security requirements.

Separately, the National Transportation Safety Board on Sunday said it is gathering information about the evacuation.

An agency spokesperson said an investigation would be launched if it's determined the injuries meet the agency's definition for “serious." That can include a person requiring hospitalization for more than 48 hours, suffering a broken bone or second- or third-degree burns affecting more than 5% of their body.

Frontier representatives declined to answer questions about the accident and evacuation submitted by email. The company referred The Associated Press to airport authorities.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at about 11:19 p.m. on Friday. The pilots aborted takeoff and smoke was reported in the cabin, Frontier Airlines said at the time.

Some people on board expressed concern about the evacuation, including being stuck in the plane for several minutes as smoke filled the cabin and left on the tarmac in the cold once they were out. Video also showed some passengers coming down the slide with what looked to be their carry-on bags.

This story includes a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org