Denver Airport Trespasser Who Died in Jet Engine Identified as Suicide

Denver officials said Tuesday that the man killed late Friday night after stepping in front of a taxiing Frontier Airlines jet at Denver International Airport died by suicide.

The Denver medical examiner ruled that Michael Mott, 41, suffered multiple blunt and sharp-force injuries after being pulled into the aircraft engine, which caught fire.

Video showed Mott loitering near the runway before he moved into the path of Frontier Flight 4345 during its takeoff roll. The plane carried 231 passengers and crew.

Airport CEO Phil Washington said ground sensors triggered an alarm shortly after 11 p.m. near the perimeter fence. Operators checking live cameras at first saw what looked like deer and missed Mott because of ditches blocking their view.

"And then just minutes later, we were alerted by the FAA of the person being hit," Washington said.

"It took approximately 15 seconds for this person to jump over the eight-foot fence topped with barbed wire," he added. "The time between climbing over the fence and being struck by the plane again was approximately two minutes."

Mott crossed about 650 feet to the runway. The fence showed no damage afterward, and no vehicle was found nearby.

Twelve passengers reported minor injuries during evacuation, mostly from the emergency slide. Five went to hospitals; four have been released, with one's condition unknown.

The airport uses 36 miles of TSA-compliant fencing, cameras, thermal imaging, radar and patrols. Officials are reviewing security, including camera blind spots from ditches.

The National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and local police continue the investigation.