Shocking footage emerges showing a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo colliding with a pedestrian at Denver Airport
May 11, 2026
A person has been fatally injured following a collision with a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo at Denver International Airport.
The individual, who was an unauthorised trespasser on the airport site, was partially ingested into the aircraft’s right-hand engine, causing an emergency evacuation of the aircraft following an engine fire.
Person struck by Frontier Airlines A321neo on runway at Denver
One person was killed following a ground collision involving a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo at Denver International Airport (DEN) in Colorado.
Following engine damage, reportedly due to the partial ingestion of the person involved, the aircraft was evacuated on the runway, with passengers later being transported back to the airport by bus.
The drama unfolded at around 23.19 on 8 May as a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo operating flight F9 4345 was taking off for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with 231 passengers and crew on board.
As the aircraft, registered as N646FR, accelerated for take-off on runway 17L at Denver, it struck a person trespassing on the runway. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft reached a maximum speed of 127 knots before the impact.
Latest visuals (CCTV) of the Frontier Airlines Airbus A321-271NX aircraft (N646FR) that hit an unidentified person on the runway during take-off, operating flight 4345 from Denver.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) May 10, 2026
Pilot aborted the take-off during the Los Angeles-bound departure, reported engine fire & smoke,… pic.twitter.com/dyCDRNUxTb
The take-off was subsequently aborted, following which the crew received a fire warning alert in the cockpit of a possible fire in its right-hand engine. The crew elected to evacuate the aircraft on the runway rather than taxi back to the apron, with the airport fire and rescue service quickly dispatched to the aircraft.
Airport authorities quickly discovered that the person who had been struck by the aircraft was deceased.
According to a Denver International Airport spokesperson, the person had entered the airport’s perimeter without permission around two minutes before the incident, having scaled the perimeter fence.
Undetected by the control tower, the person then made their way to runway 178, the active runway where the Frontier aircraft was preparing for departure.
Emergency evacuation followed after an engine fire warning
Video of the incident shows the individual walking out towards the runway as the aircraft appears in the shot. The pilots relayed to the tower controllers that “an individual was walking across the runway.”
While the controllers initially appeared to believe the person was a member of the ground crew or other airport staff, the nature of the matter changed when the crew reported that the aircraft had “just hit somebody”.
The aircraft cabin filled with smoke, and the crew ordered an emergency evacuation. All 231 passengers and crew were evacuated via emergency slides on the runway, with 12 people sustaining minor injuries and five taken to hospital for further examination.
The airport said that the majority of passengers later departed on a replacement Frontier flight. “We are deeply saddened by this event,” the airline added in a statement.
🚨🇺🇸 EARLIER: Horrific scenes after a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo struck and killed a pedestrian on the runway at Denver International Airport, forcing the crew to abort takeoff and evacuate passengers. pic.twitter.com/Q5Je1vTtb3
— Nova Intel (@intel_nova) May 10, 2026
Videos posted online show the evacuation in progress, with extensive damage clearly visible to the aircraft’s right-hand engine. The runway remained closed throughout the night while an investigation into the incident was initiated.
At the time of writing, local police have not identified the person who was fatally injured during the incident, nor have they given any reason why that person was on the airport site without authorisation. They were not believed to be an airport employee. ” The aircraft remains at Denver Airport awaiting repairs.
The plane was moving at a “high speed” at the time of the impact, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “The trespasser breached airport security at Denver International Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway,” he said, adding that “No one should EVER trespass on an airport.”
Investigation gets underway to scrutinise security at Denver Airport
An investigation is now underway involving the airport, the local police, Frontier Airlines and the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the lead-up to the incident as well as the collision itself.
The incident has raised immediate questions about security levels around airport perimeters, particularly as Denver Airport is one of the busiest airports in the US. However, it is also the second-largest airport worldwide by area, covering 53 square miles (137 sq. km), second only to Dammam King Fahd Airport (DMM) in Saudi Arabia.
Thus, the challenges of securing such an extensive perimeter will undoubtedly come under scrutiny, while other major airports will be eagerly awaiting the findings of the investigation report as to any weaknesses or loopholes that may be identified.
Specifically, the airport authority and federal investigators will be keen to understand how an individual could breach the airport perimeter and walk a considerable distance airside out to the active runway seemingly unnoticed. “The airport has examined the fenceline and found it to be intact,” a Denver Airport spokesperson added.
Featured image: robin / stock.adobe.com
