A person has died after a Frontier Airlines plane tragically struck them during takeoff. The incident happened in Denver International Airport at around 11:20 pm local time, as reported by ABC 7.
The Frontier Airlines flight was headed to Los Angeles from Denver when the tragic incident happened. Denver International Airport released a preliminary statement about it on social media after the incident occurred.
"Statement from DEN on incident tonight: Frontier Flight 4345 reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19pm on Friday, May 8, 2026. There was a brief engine fire that was promptly extinguished by the Denver Fire Dept."
The passengers were forced to leave the plane via inflatable slides. Twelve passengers ended up being injured due to the engine fire, with five needing to be taken to the hospital, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Smoke apparently filled the cabin.
Once more details were found out, Denver International Airport released a further
1 Dead and 12 Injured After Person Struck by Plane on Denver Runway, Causing Engine Fire
A person has died after a plane struck them during takeoff at Denver Airport. A reported 12 passengers were also injured in the tragic incident.
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Harrowing Air Traffic Control Audio Was Released From the Plane
A conversation between the pilots on the plane and air traffic control reveals the chaos and confusion in the wake of the tragic incident.
"Tower, Frontier 4345, we're stopping on the runway. Uh, we just hit somebody... we have an engine fire." When the air traffic control asked how many people were on board, the pilot responded, "We have 231 souls on board... There was an individual walking across the runway."
And then, the cabin started filling with smoke. "We've got smoke on the aircraft, we're gonna evacuate on the runway." Luckily, the Denver Fire Department was there to respond and extinguish the engine fire.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained on Saturday that the victim was not known to be on the runway when the incident happened. They had apparently "deliberately scaled a perimeter fence" and run onto the runway. This meant they were struck by the plane "at high speed."
This is a tragic incident. Our thoughts are with not only the victim but also the pilots and injured passengers.
Wow, and it wasn't a Boeing aircraft.