Frontier Jet strikes person on takeoff in Denver, fatal, 5/9/26

There's a video on BrainRot (TikTok) that shows a pretty big compressor stall and bang.

I do wonder if it's a case of suicide by plane, since the initial reports state the victim jumped the airport fence. That takes determination. I doubt someone under the influence would be that determined, but what do I know?
 
nauga said:
I was struck (NPI) more by "partially consumed"
I hope we get more info on how someone got to the runway apparently unnoticed.

Nauga,
on foot
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To the east it's nothing but farm fields; I don't know how far from the boundary fence to the runway, but getting to that fence unnoticed would be trivial.
I think intentional self-destruction in these cases.
 
nauga said:
I was struck (NPI) more by "partially consumed"
I hope we get more info on how someone got to the runway apparently unnoticed.

Nauga,
on foot
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It was dark. There's a tik tok of the takeoff from a passenger. Direct hit to the engine. Truly horrifying stuff.
 
The photo of the #2 postflight shows it has extensive damage
 
Kenny Phillips said:
To the east it's nothing but farm fields; I don't know how far from the boundary fence to the runway, but getting to that fence unnoticed would be trivial.
I think intentional self-destruction in these cases.
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Where he got hit appears to be a straight line path from a dirt track (The extension of East 80th Ave). It's about 350' from the fence to the middle of the runway.
 
Bill said:
Probably thought they would take a planeload of people with them.
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Could anyone be that stupid? Even if you took out an engine; plane can still fly on one. I figure that would be common knowledge.
 
dans2992 said:
Could anyone be that stupid? Even if you took out an engine; plane can still fly on one. I figure that would be common knowledge.
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I doubt that it is common knowledge that modern jets can fly on one... or more accurately, know the airworthiness certification requirements and airline operations requirements related to losing an engine during takeoff.
 
dans2992 said:
Could anyone be that stupid? Even if you took out an engine; plane can still fly on one. I figure that would be common knowledge.
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What happens when you loose an engine between v1 and v2?
 
If intentional, sounds like a truly horrible way to go. I mean, it's not like getting your head whacked off by a meat cleaver of a propeller, more like being slowly fed into a Cuisinart... :eek2:
 
dcat127 said:
What happens when you loose an engine between v1 and v2?
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Unless you LOSE an engine as in FEDEX recently. If you CANT go flying, it’s just BAD. It basically means you ARE gonna crash.

In the A-4, balanced field point was still on the ground, so if you lost power (on your one and only engine), it meant likely have to eject.

On the boat, that point was “going into tension”. At that point, you can’t guarantee the ability to “suspend” the shot, so NO MATTER WHAT, assume you’re gonna try to go flying, leave the power up and get what ya can get.
 
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Tools said:
Unless you LOSE an engine as in FEDEX recently. If you CANT go flying, it’s just BAD. It basically means you ARE gonna crash.

In the A-4, balanced field point was still on the ground, so if you lost power (on your one and only engine), it meant likely have to eject.

On the boat, that point was “going into tension”. At that point, you can’t guarantee the ability to “suspend” the shot, so NO MATTER WHAT, assume you’re gonna try to go flying, leave the power up and get what ya can get.
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Outside of a simple engine failure/fire, you pretty much become a test pilot.
 
I bet the only thing he felt was the roar of the engine before the high speed impact knocked him out. I suppose its just another suicide, only extra messy, expensive and traumatic to everyone on the plane. Sad and selfish.
 
Will be interesting if the NTSB includes the initial radio communication audio with tower and a detailed statement(s) of what was seen. The shaken voice on the audio clearly identified a person is what was hit.

Not that it matters, but I wonder if he standing there facing the plane, offset from the centerline? Or out for a stroll, oblivious to the surroundings? Or something else...
 
AquaLand said:
ADS-B Exchange shows a max ground speed of 118 kts; FR24 127 kts. Note that a FFT A20N had departed 17L about 2 minutes prior and reported nothing abnormal.
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Keep in mind increased TAS/GS (GS reported) compared to IAS at that density altitude.
 
Dana said:
If intentional, sounds like a truly horrible way to go. I mean, it's not like getting your head whacked off by a meat cleaver of a propeller, more like being slowly fed into a Cuisinart... :eek2:
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Slowly?? It's a jet engine at full throttle. I don't think it happened slowly.
 
Dana said:
If intentional, sounds like a truly horrible way to go. I mean, it's not like getting your head whacked off by a meat cleaver of a propeller, more like being slowly fed into a Cuisinart... :eek2:
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Likely immediately unconscious.
 
When I was a young man in A&P school I had this night job. Unloading The Wall Street Journal from a Convair 440 during the middle of night for $25 a pop. It was low vis one night when they hit a woman on the runway. This gal had cut through the airport via an opening in the fence to take a shortcut to the low income housing on the other side. Pilots saw her and attempted a go around. They hit her with a main a tire. It knocked her flat out! She got up bitching and proceed on her way. We unloaded the Journal and the old 440 took off like nothing happened. Good ole days:)
 
dcat127 said:
What happens when you loose an engine between v1 and v2?
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After V1 there really isn't an option as it is the point of no return. Basically it means there is not enough runway left to stop the aircraft safely.

FAA Definition:
V1 is the critical engine failure recognition speed or takeoff decision speed. It is the speed above which the takeoff will continue even if an engine fails or another problem occurs, such as a blown tire...
 
M20K said:
After V1 there really isn't an option as it is the point of no return. Basically it means there is not enough runway left to stop the aircraft safely.

FAA Definition:
V1 is the critical engine failure recognition speed or takeoff decision speed. It is the speed above which the takeoff will continue even if an engine fails or another problem occurs, such as a blown tire...
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Where did you get that definition?

The FAA definition from Part 1:
V1 means the maximum speed in the takeoff at which the pilot must take the first action (e.g., apply brakes, reduce thrust, deploy speed brakes) to stop the airplane within the accelerate-stop distance. V1 also means the minimum speed in the takeoff, following a failure of the critical engine at VEF, at which the pilot can continue the takeoff and achieve the required height above the takeoff surface within the takeoff distance.
 
"That was an explosion!"
"Smoke in the cabin!"
"The plane's on fire!"
"Emergency evacuation!"
"We're going to die!"
"Let me grab my carry-on from the overhead bin." o_O
 
People are weird. We had a call a couple years ago...an old guy who had gotten a cancer diagnosis downloaded the Amtrak schedule, drove out to a rural crossing in our district, and laid down in front of the train. We got the call to help the coroner pick up the pieces of him and hose off the train. Ruined a bunch of people's day. Wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be the same deal. At least the train idea didn't do millions of dollars worth of damage.
 
asicer said:
"That was an explosion!"
"Smoke in the cabin!"
"The plane's on fire!"
"Emergency evacuation!"
"We're going to die!"
"Let me grab my carry-on from the overhead bin." o_O
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And walk right over to the things that were just on fire
 
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