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Frontier Airlines flight strikes person on Denver runway
A Frontier Airlines flight from Denver International Airport to Los Angeles strikes a pedestrian on the runway, causing an engine fire and forcing an evacuation.Aviation analyst Kyle Bailey, a former FAA safety team representative, discusses the highly unusual incident and the strict security measures typically in place at major airports.
AFrontier Airlinesjet struck and killed a person who was walking on the runway at Denver International Airport late Friday night, according to astatement from the airport.
“Frontier Flight 4345 reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m.on Friday, May 8, 2026.There was a briefengine firethat was promptly extinguished by the Denver Fire Dept.,†the airport wrote in a post on X.
“Emergency crews responded to the scene and bussed passengers to the terminal.231 souls were on board.Emergency response and investigation are ongoing.The NTSB has been notified.Runway 17L will remain closed while the investigation is conducted,†the statement concluded.
STUNNING VACATION HOT SPOT TURNS INTO OVERCROWDED NIGHTMARE AS TOURISTS FLOOD STREETS
The person struck breached airport security Friday night to scale a perimeter fence and dash out onto the runway, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a Saturday morning statement.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Pa., on Oct.24, 2025.(Ryan Collerd/Bloomberg)
“The trespasser on the runway was then struck by Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 during takeoff at high speed.The pilot stopped takeoff procedures immediately,†Duffy wrote in a post on X.
“The Frontier plane was then quickly evacuated while law enforcement and firefighters responded.Preliminary reports are 12 people were hurt, with 5 taken to the hospital.Local law enforcement handles airport security and is investigating with support from the FAA and TSA.No one should EVER trespass on an airport,†Duffy concluded.
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A map of Denver International Airport with a purple dot indicating where a Friday night security breach took place.5/8/2026.(Denver International Aiport)
“As far as security protocols, our security teams and Denver Police regularly patrol the perimeter of the airport.The person scaled the barbed-wire fence and was hit within two minutes,�Â
ABC News reported.
A Frontier Airlines Airbus A319 approaches the runway for landing at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 7, 2008.(iStock)
Audio from the incident captures the moment the plane and person collided.
“We just hit somebody, we have an engine fire,†the pilot told anair traffic controller, according to audio from the ATC app.
“There was an individual walking across the runway,†the pilot told the ATC.
A Frontier Airlines Airbus A320 neo plane, owned by the Bank of Utah Trustee, taxis to a gate at Denver International Airport (DEN) on March 23, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.(Al Drago/Getty Images)
A witness described to CBS the moment the collision occurred.
“We were already taking off, and we’re going pretty fast, and I felt like the plane started to tilt up when out of nowhere, it just — we felt like a thud and heard, like, an explosion,†Jose Cervantes told CBS News.
onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.
“I was right on the wing, so I looked to my right and I just see, like, the right wing just on fire and it, like — it’s exploding, and it sounds, like, horrible, you know — and right away they shut the aircraft off,†Cervantes said.Â
“Well, when that happened, the aircraft lands back down and starts to swivel from side to side, then they shut it down right away.And then the cabin starts to fill with smoke, and that’s when theystarted evacuating everyone.â€
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