OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
9:09 AM – Saturday, May 9, 2026
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating an accident involving a Frontier Airlines plane that hit and killed a person on the runway while taking off from Denver International Airport in Colorado.
The plane, Frontier Flight 4345, was on its way to Los Angeles, California, when it “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2026,” the Denver airport wrote on X early on Saturday.
“There was a brief engine fire that was promptly extinguished by the Denver Fire [Department],” the airport reported.
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The airport explained in subsequent posts that responding emergency crews bused passengers to the terminal and have since departed on another Frontier flight.
“231 souls were on board,” it said. “Emergency response and investigation are ongoing.”
More specifically, Frontier Airlines said in a statement that the Airbus A321 “was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members.”
The airport added that the NTSB had been notified, and that the runway involved would remain closed for investigation.
Five hours after its initial social media statements, the airport followed up with information about how a pedestrian could find him- or herself on a runway in the first place.
“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 is not believed to be an employee of the airport nor have they been identified,” it said.
12 people have reported minor injuries. Five of them were transported to local hospitals for treatment.
“We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport concluded.
The pilots aborted takeoff after the incident and reported an engine fire and smoke in the aircraft.
“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot of the plane involved could be heard telling the control tower over the radio in an audio clip. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy responded to the incident in a statement on Saturday.
“Late last night, a trespasser breached airport security at Denver Int’l Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway,” he wrote on X. “The trespasser on the runway was then struck by Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 during takeoff at high speed. The pilot stopped takeoff procedures immediately.”
“No one should EVER trespass on an airport,” the secretary asserted.
“The Flight Attendants expertly performed their jobs as aviation’s first responders to ensure the safety of all onboard. We commend the quick and professional actions of the pilots and the firefighter first responders who ensured the fire did not spread as everyone onboard was ushered to safety,” a statement from the Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA), representing Frontier Airlines Flight Attendants, read on Saturday. “We will continue to support the crew and all affected by this tragic accident and engage directly in the investigation process.”
The NTSB said it was coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct an investigation, which is ongoing.
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