1 Person Killed After Being Hit by Frontier Aircraft in Denver

One person has died after being struck by a Frontier Airlines flight at the Denver International Airport on May 8.

The individual scaled the airport’s perimeter fence around 11:19 MST and ran onto the runway as Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 was taking off at high speed, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The late-night incident apparently caused a sudden burst of flames on the outside of the Airbus A321 as passengers inside were captured on camera screaming, according to a social media video shared by a passenger on board and reposted on social media.

“Smoke was observed in the cabin, and the pilots aborted takeoff,” according to a statement Frontier Airlines sent to The Epoch Times on May 9.

The pilot ordered everyone to evacuate the aircraft with emergency slides as a “matter of precaution.”

A video shared on social media showed flyers holding their bags as they slid down an inflatable evacuation slide.

The Los Angeles-bound plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members at the time of the incident.

At least 12 people on the flight sustained minor injuries, and five of them were taken to area hospitals, according to Denver International Airport.

The statement from Frontier Airlines continued: “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.

“We are deeply saddened by this event.”

Denver International Airport echoed its condolences.

“We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport wrote in a post on X.

Airport officials said that they do not believe the person who trespassed on the runway worked at the airport.

“DEN can confirm the pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway. The pedestrian is deceased, and is not believed to be an employee of the airport nor have they been identified,” the airport stated in a separate post on X.

The deceased person’s identity has not yet been released, and it’s not clear why the person breached the airport and went in front of a fast-moving plane.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that “no one should EVER trespass on an airport.”

Runway 17L was shut down after Friday night’s crash, and law enforcement started conducting an investigation on Saturday morning. The airport plans to reopen the runway sometime late Saturday morning or afternoon.

The crash doesn’t appear to have impacted flights going into and out of Denver International Airport, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.

The airport, located 20 miles east of Downtown Denver, has a total of six non-intersecting runways.

Frontier Airlines’ primary hub is located at Denver International Airport. The low-cost carrier operates over 100 aircraft and serves around 120 destinations across the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean.