scorecard
  1. Home
  2. international
  3. news
  4. FAA says it is investigating reports that a person was struck and killed by a plane at Austin international airport

FAA says it is investigating reports that a person was struck and killed by a plane at Austin international airport

Rosie Perper   

FAA says it is investigating reports that a person was struck and killed by a plane at Austin international airport
  • The FAA said in a statement on Thursday evening that it was investigating a pedestrian fatality on a runway at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas.
  • The airport confirmed the incident in a tweet on Thursday, saying that it was "aware of an individual that was struck and killed on runway 17-R by a landing aircraft earlier this evening."
  • The FAA said its investigators were assisting the Austin Police Department and other officials in determining whether the Southwest Airlines Flight 1392 struck and killed the victim upon landing.
  • According to FlightRadar24, Flight 1392 had arrived from Dallas, Texas, to Austin.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The FAA said in a statement on Thursday evening that it was investigating a pedestrian fatality on a runway at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, in order to determine whether a Southwest Airlines plane struck and killed the victim upon landing.

According to the statement, the pilot of Southwest Airlines Flight 1392 reported seeing a person on Runway 17-Right, shortly after the Boeing 737 touched down at 8:12 p.m. local time on Thursday.

The driver of an airport operations vehicle subsequently reported finding the victim on the runway, according to the FAA, who said its investigators were assisting the Austin Police Department and other officials in order to determine whether the Boeing 737 hit the victim.

A representative for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport told Business Insider that the person involved in the incident was pronounced dead on the scene. They added that it is unclear if the victim was an airport employee or a passenger.

Southwest Airlines told Business Insider in a statement that the plane arrived safely at the airport after being cleared to land on the runway.

"The Southwest aircraft maneuvered to avoid an individual who became visible on runway 17R shortly after touchdown," the statement said. "The aircraft quickly came to a safe stop, and the pilots reported the event to local air traffic controllers."

Southwest said there were no reports of onboard injuries, and all customers and crew deplaned safely. The airline said it was fully cooperating with local law enforcement and FAA in their investigation.

Representatives for the Austin Police Department did not immediately respond to Business Insider with additional information on the incident.

The airport initially confirmed the accident in a tweet on Thursday evening, saying that it was "aware of an individual that was struck and killed on runway 17-R by a landing aircraft earlier this evening."

According to FlightRadar24, Flight 1392 had arrived from Dallas, Texas, to Austin. The total flight time was 34 minutes.

Read the original article on Business Insider

READ MORE ARTICLES ON




Advertisement