A man was hit and killed by a commercial plane in Texas after making his way on the runway despite not being an employee of the airport or an airline.
The incident occurred at Austin-Bergstrom Airport in Texas where a man, who was not wearing a uniform or carrying any identification, took to the runway as a Southwest Airlines’ Boeing 737 was touching down in a flight 1392.
While the aircraft reportedly attempted to avoid the man whom they noticed on the runway after touchdown, the individual was hit and later found dead by the airport employees.
In an online statement on Twitter, the airport explained:
“According to initial information, Southwest Airlines Flight 1392 reported to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport that they saw an unauthorized individual on runway 17-right, after their aircraft touched down at 8.12pm central time on Tuesday.
“AUS Airport Operations investigated the report and found the victim on the runway. Austin-Travis Emergency Medical Services responded to the incident and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene. The Austin Police Department is leading the ongoing investigation.”
As the airport officials later elaborated, the “operations will resume as normal” while the investigation is ongoing.
In a separate statement issued by the Southwest Airlines, officials explained that the “aircraft maneuvered to avoid” the man on the runway and “came to a safe stop” before taking the passengers to a gate.
“Southwest flight #1392 arrived safely this evening at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) after being cleared to land on runway 17R,” they wrote.
“The Southwest aircraft maneuvered to avoid an individual who became visible on runway 17R shortly after touchdown. The aircraft quickly came to a safe stop, and the pilots reported the event to local air traffic controllers.”
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