A pedestrian was killed Friday after being hit by a Frontier Airlines passenger plane during take off at Denver airport, officials said.
The deceased was hit by the aircraft while the plane was taking off to Los Angeles, AP reported.
The pedestrian has has not been identified, Denver International Airport confirmed in an X post. The deceased person is not believed to be an employee of the airport, it said.
The unidentified person had jumped the perimeter during the flight’s takeoff at Denver at 11:19 p.m. “We’re stopping on the runway. We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire,” the pilot told the control tower according to ATC.com.
There were 231 people on board when the plane hit the person, who was walking across the runway. The Frontier Airline flight abandoned its departure, CNBC reported.
All passengers and crew onboard were evacuated despite an engine fire. Smoke was seen billowing out of the cabin, though it was not evident if it was connected to the hit on the deceased.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said law enforcement officials are probing the incident in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Security Administration.
“Late last night, a trespasser breached airport security at Denver Int’l Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway,” Duffy said in a post on X.
Duffy said the person was struck by the Frontier jet during takeoff at high speed.
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
The runway was closed immediately after the incident, officials said. Denver Airport officials have notified the National Transportation Safety Board and shut the runway 17L. It will remain closed while the probe is being conducted, but officials said It is expected to open later on Saturday.
Denver airport authorities said 12 people had minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.
Frontier Airlines said it was conducting an investigation on the incident and gathering more information, while coordinating with the airport and other safety authorities.
Airport authorities said officials examined the fence line crossed by the deceased and found it intact.
The airport security said the deceased jumped the perimeter fence on the eastern side of the airport. Security personnel were conducting inspections on Saturday morning to ascertain whether there were gaps on the fence, ABC News reported.
The ABC report said some work was occurring on a parallel runway, but the person involved in the incident was not connected to it.
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