Denver Airport Security Scrutinized After Perimeter Breach

Late on 8 May, a man breached the perimeter of the Denver International Airport and ran on to a runway where he was killed by a Frontier Airlines jet as it was taking off.

The man, later identified as Michael Mott, 41, was pulled into one of the jet’s engine intakes, causing the engine to burst into flames. The plane was travelling at approximately 150 miles per hour and had 224 passengers and seven crew on board.

The pilot was able to abort takeoff. Smoke was reported in the cabin by witnesses, and the plane was safely evacuated. Twelve people on board sustained mostly minor injuries.

“I want to recognize the swift and professional actions of the pilots and the crew of Frontier flight 4345 as well as our emergency responders, operations and maintenance teams,” Denver Airport CEO Phil Washington said in a press conference on 12 May. “This incident could have had more serious consequences were it not for their swift action.”

Denver Airport has several layers of perimeter security, including surveillance cameras, 36 miles of fencing, ground-based radar with thermal imaging sensing, and patrols. The airport has the largest geographic footprint of any commercial airport in the United States at 53 square miles and is largely bordered by undeveloped, rural area.

A ground sensor triggered a security alert on the airport’s eastern border on the night of the breach. Scanning a video feed, an analyst attributed the alert to a herd of deer that was visible and did not see the intruder.

“The camera view was alternating between the wildlife and the individual,” Washington said. “There are some ditches in the area, so the person was out of view for a bit as well.”

A review of the footage shows it took Mott approximately 15 seconds to scale an 8-foot chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. Two minutes later, the pilot radioed that the plane had struck something and the takeoff was being aborted.

Denver Chief Medical Examiner Sterling McLaren said the death was ruled a suicide; however, authorities provided no additional information supporting the determination.

Washington said an inspection of the fencing completed after the incident showed that the fence in the area was intact. Authorities continue to assess how Mott approached the airport; no means of transportation such as a motor vehicle or bicycle have been found nearby.

“Safety is something we take very, very seriously,” Washington said. “In fact we have received perfect scores on multiple FAA safety inspections which includes validation of air field safety and perimeter integrity.”

Washington said the incident was still being investigated and that the airport would complete a full review and develop an after-action report.

Two law firms have notified Denver officials that they intend to sue the city and county on behalf of passengers who were on the aircraft, alleging “multiple failures” in airport perimeter security.

One expert told the Associated Press that the tragic incident highlighted a serious security flaw in aviation security that authorities need to address.

“People ought to be concerned. This was really an unprecedented risk. But now there is precedent,” said Eric Chafee a law professor at Case Western Reserve University and an expert on risk, including in the aviation industry. “The individual ended up with a bad result. But having somebody basically damage a plane is really quite concerning because of all those lives aboard any given aircraft. There ought to be new measures put into place to prevent this type of tragedy.”

However, other experts were more cautious.

“Steven Wallace, former director of accidents investigations at the Federal Aviation Administration, described the Denver fatality as a ‘one-off event’ that would not justify costly improvements to airport perimeter security programs nationwide,” the Associated Press reported. “‘I just don’t see how you’re going to think of and deal with every possible way a human could get into an airport,’ he said.”

If you or someone you know is in distress or contemplating suicide, please call the Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or texting TALK to 741741.