A Frontier Airlines flight carrying 231 people struck and killed a pedestrian during takeoff Friday night at Denver International Airport, triggering an emergency evacuation on the runway after the aircraft caught fire.
Airport officials said the individual breached airport security by scaling a perimeter fence near Runway 17L shortly before the collision involving Frontier Flight 4345, an Airbus A321 scheduled to travel to Los Angeles.
According to Denver International Airport, the person entered the restricted runway area and was struck by the aircraft roughly two minutes after jumping the fence late Friday night.
Authorities said the individual died at the scene and has not yet been publicly identified. Officials also said investigators do not believe the person was an airport employee or authorized worker.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the person as a trespasser who deliberately breached airport security before entering the active runway area during flight operations.
An official familiar with the investigation told ABC News the person was at least partially consumed by one of the aircraft’s engines during the collision on the runway.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:19 p.m. local time as the aircraft accelerated for takeoff, according to airport officials and preliminary air traffic control information released after the crash.
Audio captured from air traffic control communications recorded the pilot informing controllers that the aircraft had struck someone on the runway and experienced an engine fire immediately afterward.
“Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot said in audio published by ATC.com following the collision and emergency response late Friday night.
“Uh, we just hit somebody … we have an engine fire,” the pilot added while communicating with controllers moments after the aircraft came to a stop on the runway.
When asked by controllers how many people were aboard the aircraft, the pilot responded there were “231 souls on board” and confirmed an emergency evacuation would be necessary because smoke entered the cabin.
Videos posted to social media showed passengers evacuating the Airbus A321 using emergency slides while smoke filled portions of the cabin and emergency crews responded to the runway.
Additional footage showed passengers, including families with children, gathered near the aircraft after evacuating while crew members instructed people to move farther away from the plane.
Officials said at least 12 people sustained minor injuries during the evacuation process. Five passengers were transported to nearby hospitals for evaluation and treatment following the incident.
The remaining passengers were taken back to the airport terminal before later departing Denver on another Frontier Airlines flight arranged after the emergency landing and evacuation, per the Daily Mail.
The Denver Fire Department responded to the runway and extinguished the engine fire shortly after the aircraft came to a stop while emergency personnel secured the area.
Airport officials said investigators examined the perimeter fence involved in the security breach and determined the fencing structure itself remained intact despite the trespassing incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board and Frontier Airlines are investigating the collision while Runway 17L remains temporarily closed pending completion of the investigation.
