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A man who jumped an airport fence and crossed a runway in front of a departing Frontier Airlines plane died by suicide, a medical examiner announced on May 12.
Officials previously said the Airbus A321 had begun accelerating down the runway during its takeoff the night of May 8 when it struck the person. The victim was identified as 41-year-old Michael Mott, Denver Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sterling McLaren said at a news conference.
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McLaren said a postmortem examination revealed the manner of death was suicide. Mott's injuries were caused by the plane's engine, she said.
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said it was not yet clear how Mott got to the airport, as a vehicle was not found. Police are looking for a note or other information, including on his computer. No note was found at the scene, authorities said.
Mott scaled an approximately 8-foot fence topped with barbed wire at about 11:13 p.m. local time on May 8, Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington said. It took him about 15 seconds to get over the fence. Two minutes later, at 11:15, he was struck by the Frontier Flight 4345 while crossing runway 17 left, Washington said. It's about 650 feet from the eastern fence line to the tarmac, he said. On the other side of the fence is farmland, officials said.
At 11:10 p.m., ground movement detection sensors set off an alarm, and an operator checked a security camera in the area of the fence where Mott climbed over. The operator saw that a herd of deer was standing next to the fence. The camera angles were switching between the deer and Mott, who was out of view in the area of ditches near the fence for a time, Washington said. The operator did not see Mott.
"Given the short time period, we were not able to intervene and prevent this person from reaching the runway," Washington said.
After the victim was struck, pilots aborted the plane's takeoff and smoke began filling the cabin. Passengers evacuated the plane via slides, Frontier Airlines previously said in a statement to USA TODAY. There were 231 people on board the plane. Twelve people reported minor injuries and five were transported to hospitals. Four of the injured have since been released, Washington said, adding that their conditions were not known. Most of the injuries happened during the evacuation, including as people were going down slides, he said.
The runway was closed for several hours and reopened at 10:55 a.m. on May 9, Washington said. The fence was examined and remained intact, he said.
The airport is reviewing its perimeter safety protocols. In answer to questions of why more measures aren't taken to ensure someone can't scale the fence, such as by electrifying it, Washington said they do not want the fence to be "deadly." He also said he believed a higher fence would not deter someone who was motivated enough to climb it. There have been fence jumpers before who were quickly apprehended, he said.
Police also responded to the scene and reviewed surveillance footage, interviewed witnesses and recovered evidence from the scene, Thomas said.
"This was an incredibly difficult and traumatic situation for a lot of people. My heart goes out to all of them as they process what they experienced."
Contributing: Trevor Hughes
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man struck by Frontier Airlines plane died by suicide
