Passenger fatally struck on Denver airport runway died by suicide, officials say

Officials identified the person who was fatally struck on a Denver airport runway Friday as 41-year-old Michael Mott, who is believed to have died by suicide, according to the Medical Examiner for the City and County of Denver.

The cause of death was determined to be multiple blunt and sharp force injuries, Chief Medical Examiner Sterling McLaren said at a news briefing Tuesday morning.

The collision happened at 11:19 p.m. Friday local time as the Frontier Airlines aircraft was accelerating to takeoff at Denver International Airport for a scheduled flight to Los Angeles International Airport.

Black-and-white security video released by airport officials shows a figure approaching the runway and starting to cross it at walking pace. The Airbus A321 then sweeps in from the left as the person vanishes and one of the plane’s engines catches fire.

Denver International Airport Chief Executive Officer Phil Washington said that an alarm went off at around 11:10 p.m. Friday and an operator on duty “reviewed the alarm and identified a herd of deer just outside of the perimeter fence.”

“They did not initially see the trespasser,” Washington said. “The camera view was alternating between the wildlife and the individual. There are some ditches in the area, so the person was out of view for a bit as well.”

Minutes later, Washington said, the airport was alerted by the Federal Aviation Administration that a person was struck.

“It took approximately 15 seconds for this person to jump over the eight foot fence topped with barbed wire,” Washington said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it will not be investigating the Friday incident, citing that its outside of the board’s purview and will be left to local law enforcement.

“We are collecting information about the subsequent emergency evacuation to determine if it meets the criteria for an NTSB investigation,” the NTSB said.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

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