Southwest Airlines Plane Hits, Kills Person on Runway in Texas: Officials

Southwest Airlines Plane Hits, Kills Person on Runway in Texas: Officials
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 plane. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Jack Phillips
Updated:

A Southwest Airlines jet struck and killed a person when it landed in Austin, Texas, on Thursday evening, according to airport officials.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told news outlets that Southwest Airlines Flight 1392 reported seeing a person on the runway before the Boeing 737 touched down at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after 8 p.m. local time.
“Austin-Travis Emergency Medical Services responded to the incident and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene,” the Austin airport said in a statement on Twitter, adding that it “is aware of an individual that was struck and killed on runway 17R by a landing aircraft earlier this evening.”
Austin-Travis County emergency services said an adult was declared dead at the scene, according to the agency’s Twitter account.

Airport spokesman Bryce Dubee said officials do not believe the man was authorized to be on the runway at the time, according to Fox News. The driver of an airport vehicle found the body on the runway.

The Austin Police Department told KEYE-TV the person killed was not dressed as an airport worker and didn’t have the proper identification. An investigation is currently ongoing.

The airport said that there was a crime scene investigation, which was later cleared on Friday morning. The runway will reopen soon, according to the airport.

Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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