Pedestrian dies after being hit by plane taking off at Denver airport

A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway at Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, en route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” the airport posted on its official X social media account.

An airport spokesperson said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the runway area. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot is heard telling the control tower, according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller that the plane has “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot tells the tower there is “smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

12 passengers injured

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.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

The airline said 224 passengers and seven crew members were aboard the Airbus A321 aircraft. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in co-ordination with the airport and other safety authorities,” it said

Passengers were evacuated from the plane via slides and then transported by bus to the airport terminal by the emergency crew. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

The airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later on Saturday.