A Frontier Airlines flight struck and killed a pedestrian on the runway at Denver International Airport at approximately 11:19 p.m. Friday, forcing the pilots to abort takeoff and triggering an emergency evacuation after smoke filled the cabin. The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday it is gathering details on the evacuation to determine if it meets the criteria for a formal safety investigation.
The aircraft, Flight 4345 bound for Los Angeles International Airport, was accelerating for takeoff when it hit the person on the runway, according to a statement from the airport. The pilot, communicating with the control tower, reported, “We’re stopping on the runway. We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.” Recordings captured by the website ATC.com also captured the pilot telling the tower that “an individual was walking across the runway” and, moments later, “We have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
Emergency slides were deployed and passengers were bused to the terminal. An airport spokesperson said 12 passengers received minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed the evacuation underway and passengers sliding down chutes, some carrying what appeared to be carry-on luggage.
Passengers described rapid chaos and fear. “Honestly, I thought I was going to die,” Mohamed Hassan told Colorado’s 9NEWS. “A lot of people next to me were screaming and crying. I just closed my eyes. Because we were just about to take off and I heard that boom, so I wasn’t sure what happened.” Another passenger, Nikil Thalanki, told local media outlets that he felt “this jerk” as the plane was about to leave the ground, saw fire and sparks on the engine, and that “smoke filled the cabin completely. It was super hard to breathe.” Kimberly Randle described passengers bolting for the exit: “In a few minutes, they finally opened the door. People were running to get out of the plane. It was chaos everywhere.”
The NTSB’s interest in the evacuation centers on passengers who appeared to bring carry-on bags, a behavior the agency has warned about repeatedly. In an April report on a 2025 United Airlines evacuation at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the NTSB detailed how passengers disregarded crew commands, retrieved belongings, and pushed past a flight attendant, deflating an escape slide that was still deploying. “Cabin crew training emphasizes assertive command presence and passenger control during evacuations; however, this event demonstrates how rapidly escalating passenger behavior can affect evacuation dynamics even in the absence of confirmed fire or smoke conditions,” the report said.
NTSB spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said Sunday, “We are gathering information about the emergency evacuation to determine if it meets criteria for a safety investigation,” adding that the agency might have more details in a few hours. Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for information about the evacuation, though it said in a statement that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff” and that “we are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington, addressing the death, said in a statement, “This was a horrible and preventable tragedy that has affected many due to the actions of one person who apparently trespassed at an airport and lost their life as a result.” Airport officials said the person, who is not believed to have been an employee, jumped a fence and was struck on the runway approximately two minutes later. The Denver Police Department said the investigation remains ongoing and the identity of the deceased will be confirmed and released by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.
The Denver collision came one day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed on the job at Orlando International Airport. Delta said the employee died Thursday night, offered support to the family, and is working with local authorities on the ongoing investigation.