Authorities at Denver International Airport and Frontier Airlines reported that on the night of May 8, a flight taking off bound for Los Angeles, California, fatally hit a person on the track.
According to local media KOB4, the accident caused a fire in an aircraft engine and forced the passengers to evacuate.
The airport detailed through its account in X that the plane had hit a pedestrian during takeoff, at approximately 11:19 p.m. (local time) on Friday.
A spokesperson for the air terminal confirmed that The pedestrian jumped over the perimeter fence. However, his identity has not been revealed. He was run over two minutes after entering the airport without permission.
The local press states that This is not an airport employee.
“We stop on the track”the pilot told the control tower, according to the ATC.com website.
What happened in Denver is incredible: a person crossed the runway and was hit by a Frontier plane taking off for Los Angeles. The emergency protocol was activated and all passengers evacuated the aircraft without problems… pic.twitter.com/JATxKWmAS0
— Alejandro Figueredo (@afigue2010) May 9, 2026
He added: “We just bumped into someone.”. We have a fire in the engine.”
The airline detailed that the flight included 224 passengers and seven crew members.
According to ABC News, the Secretary of Transportation of the United States, Sean Duffy, declared this May 9 that the victim evaded airport security by deliberately scaling a perimeter fence and running onto the landing strip.
The airport reported that 12 people on board the plane were injured mild and five of them were transferred to local care centers.
An American airline plane #FrontierAirlines that was preparing to take off from the city of Denver (Colorado) towards Los Angeles (California) aborted the maneuver after running over a person on the runway of the Denver International Airport, #USA and report a… pic.twitter.com/jIX7O48tQS
— David de la Paz 戴维 (@daviddelapaz) May 9, 2026
The Passengers were evacuated using slides and emergency personnel transported them by bus to the terminal.
The authorities announced that the runway where the accident occurred will remain closed while the investigation progresses.
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 it is not believed to be an employee of the airport nor have they been identified. (2/4)
— Denver Int’l Airport (@DENAirport) May 9, 2026
“Local law enforcement authorities are in charge of airport security and are leading the investigation into the incident,” Duffy noted in X.
This Saturday continues a perimeter fence inspection looking for gaps. In addition, the authorities indicated that the deceased did not appear to be related to the work being carried out on a parallel runway.
Late last night, a trespasser breached airport security at Denver Int’l Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway.
The trespasser on the runway was then struck by Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 during takeoff at high speed. The pilot stopped… https://t.co/x2oVY1b0AH
—Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 9, 2026
“No one should ever enter an airport without authorization”added the Secretary of Transportation.
Denver airport is one of the busiest in the world. In 2025 it received more than 82 million passengers, making it the fourth busiest in the US and the tenth in the world.
The pedestrian’s death occurred a day after a Delta Air Lines airline employee died during an act of duty at Orlando International Airport, Florida.