NEWS: Frontier Plane Hits Person On Denver Airport Runway

According to the New York Times, a Frontier Airlines jet preparing to depart the Denver International Airport for Los Angeles struck and killed a pedestrian on the runway on the night of Friday, May 8th.

The collision triggered an engine fire, and all passengers were evacuated from the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the accident, but here’s everything we know so far.

The Denver International Airport confirmed that Frontier Flight 4345, bound for Los Angeles International Airport, reported striking a pedestrian at approximately 11:19 p.m. Pacific Time. Passengers reported smoke in the cabin, and takeoff was paused. The flight crew found that a brief engine fire had broken out and was quickly extinguished by Denver firefighters.

According to airport officials, the pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence a few minutes before the incident and was hit while crossing the runway. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The individual has not been publicly identified and is not believed to have been an airport employee.

The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members who were evacuated using slides. Emergency crews took them by bus to the terminal. “Smoke filled the cabin completely — it was super hard to breathe,” passenger Nikil Thalanki told Denver’s NBC affiliate KUSA. “And then we were sitting there, what they told us to wait there, just remain seated for like two, three minutes, maybe four minutes, and then they opened up the exits.”

“We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities,” Frontier said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened by this event.” 12 passengers reported minor injuries, and five were taken to the hospital. Frontier said the flight was rescheduled and would take off Saturday morning at the Denver International Airport.

“Honestly, I thought I was going to die,” passenger Mohamed Hassan described the scene. “A lot of people next to me were screaming and crying. I just closed my eyes. At that time, you’re not really thinking of anything, you know? Because we were just about to take off, and I heard that boom, so I wasn’t sure what happened. I just thought something really, really bad happened.”

The Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Denver Police Department are currently investigating the accident. Our thoughts go out to those affected by the incident.