NEWS: Plane Hits Person During Takeoff at Denver Airport

It was just reported that there was a collision with Frontier Airlines.

©Frontier Airlines

According to the New York Times, a Frontier Airlines jet struck and killed a person who was walking on the runway at Denver International Airport at night on May 8th during takeoff.

“Frontier Flight 4345 reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2026. There was a brief engine fire that was promptly extinguished by the Denver Fire Dept.,” the airport wrote in a post via X. “Emergency crews responded to the scene and bused passengers to the terminal. 231 souls were on board. Emergency response and investigation are ongoing. The NTSB has been notified. Runway 17L will remain closed while the investigation is conducted.”

Frontier Plane at the Orlando Airport

Reportedly, the person who was struck had breached airport security Friday night to scale a perimeter fence and dash out onto the runway. This was stated by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The post Sean Duffy wrote on X read, “The trespasser on the runway was then struck by Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 during takeoff at high speed. The pilot stopped takeoff procedures immediately.”

Flying Frontier

“The Frontier plane was then quickly evacuated while law enforcement and firefighters responded. Preliminary reports are 12 people were hurt, with 5 taken to the hospital. Local law enforcement handles airport security and is investigating with support from the FAA and TSA. No one should EVER trespass on an airport,” Duffy concluded.

©Frontier Airlines

A Denver Airport spokesperson told Fox News Digital that their security teams and Denver Police regularly patrol the perimeter of the airport. They added that the person scaled the barbed-wire fence and was hit within two minutes of going out onto the runway. The Denver International Airport posted on X saying it “has examined the fenceline and found it to be intact.” They added, “We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved.”

Frontier Airlines

According to ABC News, the person killed was struck and “at least partially consumed” by one of the plane’s engines. Jose Cervantes told CBS News that the plane was already going pretty fast, and then they felt as if “the plane started to tilt up when out of nowhere, it just — we felt like a thud and heard, like, an explosion.”

“I was right on the wing, so I looked to my right and I just see, like, the right wing just on fire and it, like — it’s exploding, and it sounds, like, horrible, you know — and right away they shut the aircraft off,” Cervantes said. “Well, when that happened, the aircraft lands back down and starts to swivel from side to side, then they shut it down right away. And then the cabin starts to fill with smoke, and that’s when they started evacuating everyone.”