The Denver International Airport in the state of Colorado further stated that the person was not identified, but most likely it was not an airport employee.
An Airbus A321 with more than 230 people on board was preparing to depart for Los Angeles on Friday evening local time when it “reportedly struck pedestrians on the runway during takeoff,” the airline said.
This is the moment Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo flight 4345 to LAX struck a pedestrian on Runway 17L during the takeoff roll at Denver. pic.twitter.com/LZRL8OTaNj
— Turbine Traveler (@Turbinetraveler) May 9, 2026
According to the control tower, the pilot of the plane reported after the collision that the right engine was on fire and smoke appeared in the plane. “The person who was hit was at least partially engulfed by the engine,” one of the airport representatives confirmed to the ABC station, saying that this was what caused the brief engine fire. It was subsequently extinguished by airport firefighters.
US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said that the victim of the collision intentionally climbed over the airport fence and went onto the runway. He added that the collision occurred at high speed. Twelve people were injured in the plane after the accident, five of whom were taken to the hospital, the minister added.
The circumstances of the tragedy are currently under investigation.
