Frontier flight aborts takeoff after runway collision at Denver airport

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A person who jumped a perimeter fence and entered the runway at Denver International Airport was struck and killed by a Frontier Airlines plane during takeoff late Friday, airport officials said. The collision triggered an engine fire, and the airline evacuated passengers using slides before sending them by emergency bus to the terminal, according to the airport and the airline.

Airport officials said the flight reported the incident during takeoff at about 11:19 p.m. Friday, when, according to the airport’s official social media account, the plane “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday.” A Frontier spokesperson said the plane involved was flight 4345 on its route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, and that the pilots aborted takeoff after smoke was reported in the cabin.

An exchange recorded on air-traffic audio described the pilot telling the control tower that they had “hit somebody” and reporting smoke, while air traffic control responded to readiness steps for an emergency. In the same communications, the pilot told the controller there were “231 souls” onboard and said “an “individual was walking across the runway.” The controller replied that they were “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot reported “smoke in the aircraft” and said, “We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

The airport spokesperson said the unidentified person entered the airport by jumping a fence and was hit about two minutes after entering the airport. The spokesperson also said the person was not believed to be an airport employee.

Frontier Airlines said in a statement that flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” The airline said it was investigating the incident and gathering information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities. It also said the aircraft was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members.

After the evacuation, Denver’s airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals. The airport said passengers were evacuated via slides and that emergency crews bused them to the terminal.

In posts on social media, a passenger identified as Jacob Anthens shared video and images he said showed the aftermath. Anthens said on a Facebook page that the plane’s “engine of the plane exploded,” and that “there was so much smoke we couldn’t even see 1 ft in front of us,” adding that passengers waited on the runway for more than an hour and that he did not see transport or help with the cold. Other video posted from the incident showed passengers evacuating down the aisle using slides, with instructions to step away from the aircraft.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, was closed during the investigation. The airport said the runway reopened Saturday around 11 a.m. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that the person “breached airport security at Denver Int’l Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway,” adding, “No one should EVER trespass on an airport.”

The incident occurred a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at Orlando International Airport, Delta said in a statement that did not provide details or the employee’s name.