Frontier Airlines Jet Strikes Man on Denver Runway After Fence Breach
A Frontier Airlines flight struck and killed a man at Denver International Airport when it was in its takeoff roll.
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,” according to a post on the airport’s official X account.
The incident sparked an engine fire and led to a runway closure while the passengers on board the jet were evacuated. The Frontier Airlines flight, operated by an Airbus A321 narrowbody jet, was carrying 231 people in total.
Video shot by a passenger aboard the plane and shared with CBS News shows smoke in the cabin of the aircraft.
Twelve passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation, with five of those individuals requiring hospital treatment. No crew members were reported among the injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents in the United States, was notified and is expected to lead the formal inquiry.
“We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire,” the pilot said in a recording from the cockpit, according to CBS News.
Hours after the incident unfolded, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a statement, saying that a trespasser “breached airport security.” He also added that the deceased deliberately scaled a perimeter fence before running onto the runway. However, his comments met with criticism online.
“The trespasser on the runway was then struck by Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 during takeoff at high speed. The pilot stopped takeoff procedures immediately,” he wrote.
Internet users pointed out that Duffy showed no empathy or even mentioned that the person struck by the plane had died. Others raised concerns over security at the airport.
“How the hell did they not stop him?” one user wrote. “The rent a cops at the security gates couldn’t run him down?”
“The person jumped an exterior fence and aligned with the engine of a plane attempting to take off. That’s attempting to sabotage a takeoff of a plane with 200+ souls on board,” the person wrote.
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