The FAA, NTSB, and local police are investigating after a Frontier aircraft hit and killed a pedestrian who apparently jumped a fence and walked onto Runway 17L at Denver International Airport.
The incident took place around 11:20 p.m. local time Friday. Frontier Flight 4345, operating with an Airbus A321neo, was taking off for Los Angeles when a pilot reported striking a person who had crossed onto the runway.
The takeoff was aborted, and a pilot told an air traffic controller that an engine had caught fire and there was smoke in the cabin. All 231 people on board – 224 passengers and seven crew – evacuated the aircraft using inflatable slides.
The pedestrian jumped the airport’s perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while walking on the runway, airport officials said Saturday. The individual has not been identified.
Twelve people on board the flight reported minor injuries, and five were hospitalized.
“We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport said in a statement.
Videos recorded by passengers and shared with national media outlets showed the engine catching fire after the apparent strike, and the panic in the cabin that followed.
Authorities said the fenceline around the airport was found to be intact. Footage shot by NBC News over the weekend shows the fence is high and topped with barbed wire.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlighted the strike on X over the weekend.
“No one should EVER trespass on an airport,” he wrote.
Several agencies are now investigating the incident, including the FAA, Denver police, and TSA.
The Associated Press reported Sunday that the NTSB is collecting information about the evacuation, possibly over concerns that some passengers disregarded instructions from the crew and evacuated with their bags. The FAA requires that airlines instruct passengers to leave their bags behind in an emergency, but videos of recent evacuations have shown some passengers taking their luggage with them. The same could be seen in videos of Friday’s evacuation.
Most of the passengers on Flight 4345 were given seats on another Frontier flight to Los Angeles.
