Milan, May 9 (LaPresse) – A Frontier Airlines plane struck a pedestrian on the runway at Denver International Airport late last night. This was reported to CNN by an airline spokesperson. Flight 4345, an Airbus A321, was departing from Denver bound for Los Angeles and was carrying 224 passengers and 7 crew members. Departure was scheduled for 10:39 p.m. local time, 6:39 a.m. today in Italy. While the aircraft was taking off, “the aircraft is believed to have struck a pedestrian on the runway during the maneuver,” the airline said, “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted the takeoff. Passengers were then safely evacuated via the slides as a precaution.” Denver Airport stated that the Frontier flight “reported striking a pedestrian” around 11:19 p.m. local time. A brief engine fire occurred and was quickly extinguished by firefighters. Air traffic control audio recordings, shared by the app ATC.com, captured the moment when a pilot from the Frontier flight informed the control tower that the plane “hit someone.” A few seconds later, a controller announced that emergency vehicles were being dispatched. “There was a person crossing the runway,” the pilot can be heard saying. Runway 17L will remain closed for the duration of the investigation.
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