Southwest airplane landing in Austin hits and kills man on runway, airport says
A Southwest jet hit and killed a man on a runway as it landed at the Austin, Texas, airport Thursday, officials said.
The flight was landing at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 8:12 p.m. when it reported seeing a person on the runway, airport officials said.
“AUS Airport Operations investigated the report and found the victim on the runway,” the airport said in a statement on Twitter. “Austin-Travis Emergency Medical Services responded to the incident and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”
An airport spokesman told the Associated Press: “Officials do not believe the man was supposed to be on the runway at the time, but they’re working to confirm that and determine the events leading up to his death.”
Officials said they reopened the runway shortly before 2 a.m.
“The crime scene has been cleared and maintenance is preparing the runway to reopen. Operations will resume as normal and AUS will continue to work closely with APD on the ongoing investigation,” the airport tweeted.
Police said the victim was not dressed as an airport worker, according to CBS Austin.
Austin police are investigating how the man got on the runway, the airport said. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating, CBS Austin reports.
Southwest Airlines flight 1392 had just completed a short trip from Dallas when it landed in Austin Thursday night, according to plane tracking site FlightAware.
