A suicidal man exposed a dangerous vulnerability at Denver International Airport on Friday when he scaled an 8-foot-high fence topped with barbed wire to walk in front of an airplane taking off. The resulting collision threatened every life on board the Frontier Airlines plane headed to Los Angeles.
The plane was accelerating for takeoff when the 41-year-old man was sucked into the jet engine. The man died immediately, but his body badly damaged one of the jet engines. The pilots acted quickly to abort the takeoff and avert a crash. Passengers on board described a loud explosion as the jet engine caught on fire. All 231 passengers and the crew evacuated the plane on the runway as the cabin filled with smoke. Fortunately, no one was killed other than the man on the runway who died instantly. Twelve people reported injuries, and five people were taken to the hospital by paramedics.
Engine failure following collisions with birds and other animals is well-documented and has been deadly. In 2024, a Jeju Air Flight suffered engine damage from a flock of birds. Due to a combination of pilot error and unsafe runway conditions, all but two people onboard the flight died in a fiery crash. In 2009, a flock of Canadian geese was sucked into both engines of Flight 1549 at LaGuardia Airport. The pilot was able to land on the Hudson River, saving everyone on board.
Airports take dramatic steps to prevent birds and other wildlife from encroaching on runways. But now that this death raises the specter of suicide attacks, the Denver International Airport must respond.
The good news is that the airport’s CEO, Phil Washington, said that the airport’s perimeter alarm system did detect the intruder a few minutes before the crash. Washington said the radar system detected movement and set off an alarm at 11:10 p.m. The system’s operator reviewed the alarm but assumed the motion detected had been nearby deer, and did not see the trespasser on the camera. The crash occurred at 11:20 p.m.
The system worked, but then the procedures failed.
Airports cannot possibly neutralize every single possible threat. But long ago, we decided that extraordinary measures would be taken to protect air travelers from attacks and accidents, making it the safest mode of travel across the globe. As threats develop, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Transportation Safety Board respond with recommendations to tighten down security and safety even further. Whether it’s pilot training, plane technology or security measures, these suggestions often lead to changes but are sometimes ignored as too costly or too impractical.
For example, Denver International Airport recently undertook a billion-dollar reconfiguration of its security checkpoints to eliminate a vulnerability that experts had identified. We supported the project despite our skepticism of the public-private partnership proposed to undertake the remodel because we understood the importance of protecting travelers at the airport.
That is the process that must play out now at DIA following this threat — looking at the cost-benefit analysis of security improvements.
Washington should begin that process quickly.
Airport officials could take any number of small measures. Slowing intruders is the easiest measure to implement but there are tradeoffs too — taller fences, electric currents, and razor wire. The radar system detected the intruder, but what could have helped employees see the intruder and order a stop on flights in time to prevent the crash?
Denver International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and it must be one of the safest in the world, too.
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