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FILE – A Frontier Airlines jet taxis down the runway for takeoff from Denver International Airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane struck and killed a pedestrian on the runway at Denver International Airport during takeoff, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate, airport authorities said.
The plane, en route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, reported hitting a pedestrian while taking off from DEN Airport at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday, according to a post on the airport’s official X account.
An airport spokesman said that the pedestrian who jumped the perimeter fence died. They added that the unidentified person was injured two minutes after entering the airport. This person is not believed to be an airport employee.
“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower, according to ATC.com. “We just hit someone. The engine’s on fire.”
The pilot told the air traffic controller that they had “231 people” on board and that “one person was walking across the runway.”
The air traffic controller replies that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot tells the tower that “there is smoke in the plane. We will evacuate on the runway.”
Frontier Airlines said in a statement that Flight 4345 was 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 related to the pedestrian collision.
The airline said the plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members.
Passengers were evacuated via slides and emergency crews transported them to the station. An airport spokesman said that 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.
The airline said: “We are investigating this incident and collecting further information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
The Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified, and Runway 17L, where the accident occurred, has been closed amid an investigation. It reopened on Saturday around 11 a.m
The pedestrian’s death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while working at Orlando International Airport. The airline said in a statement that the employee was killed on Thursday night, without providing details of the incident or the employee’s name.
“We are focused on providing our full support to the family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. “We are working with local authorities while a full investigation is conducted to determine what happened.”