Former police officer says Denver International Airport knew of perimeter concerns; "It was a vulnerability point"
A new video provided by the Denver International Airport shows a person walking onto runway 17L moments before being hit and killed by a plane taking off. A Frontier plane fatally struck a pedestrian in Denver as it was taking off for Los Angeles Friday night, according to the airline and Denver International Airport.
The security breach is something a retired Denver police officer who worked at the airport says they raised concerns about for years. They asked to stay anonymous for fear of retaliation.
"[Airport officials] were aware that they had issues out there. When I was there, it was a vulnerability point, and it needed to be addressed," the former officer said. "I mean, it's too bad that something like this has to happen before they do something that could have been done years ago."
The former officer said the east side, where the trespasser is believed to have jumped the fence, may have been particularly vulnerable because of how long it would take an officer to get out there.
"We've actually had some people get over the perimeter fence," the retired officer said, "It didn't really surprise me. It just kind of, I was thinking, 'Well, I guess they still haven't beefed it up enough to keep people off of that airfield.'"
The airport has said they are assessing all of its security measures.
DEN CEO Phil Washington shared a statement on Sunday, saying in part, "We know there are questions to be answered still. As this is an active investigation. This was a horrible and preventable tragedy that has affected many due to the actions of one person who apparently trespassed at an airport and lost their life as a result. Safety is paramount in everything we do."
Aviation journalist and pilot Larry Anglisano believes this incident could prompt airports across the country to assess their boundaries. Denver's trespasser was on the runway within 2 minutes of hopping the fence.
"That may have not been enough time for somebody to spot the person on the runway, and then number two, act to get them off in time," Anglisano said.
He went on to say that in this case, the Frontier crew's ability to abort takeoff may have saved the lives of the passengers on board.
"You got to figure, he has an airplane going 120 miles an hour at that point," Anglisano said, "The training kicked in, they stopped the airplane. They made the right decision, and it could have been a whole lot worse than what it was."
CBS Colorado asked the airport for its response to the security concerns the former officer claims to have brought up to staff, but has not yet heard back.