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Pedestrian Killed by Frontier Airlines Plane After Breaching Fence at Denver Airport
A person who jumped a perimeter fence at Denver International Airport was struck and killed by a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 during takeoff on May 8, 2026. The collision caused an engine fire, forcing pilots to abort and evacuate 231 people on board via emergency slides. Twelve passengers suffered minor injuries and five were hospitalized while authorities investigate the security breach.
May 8, 11:24 PM·2m read22 sources
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A pedestrian who jumped a perimeter fence at Denver International Airport was struck and killed by a Frontier Airlines plane during takeoff late Friday, prompting an engine fire, an aborted departure and the emergency evacuation of everyone on board.
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m. on May 8 when Frontier Flight 4345, bound for Los Angeles, was accelerating on runway 17L. The Airbus A321 carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members struck the individual two minutes after the person entered the airfield, according to airport officials.
The pedestrian is not believed to have been an airport employee and has not been identified.
"We're stopping on the runway.
We just hit somebody. com. The pilot reported 231 souls on board and added that an individual had been walking across the runway. Controllers responded that emergency vehicles were rolling to the scene. Smoke was reported in the cabin shortly afterward.
The pilots aborted takeoff and decided to evacuate on the runway. Denver firefighters quickly extinguished the engine fire. It remained unclear whether the smoke was caused by the collision. Twelve passengers sustained minor injuries and five were transported to local hospitals for treatment.
Video obtained by CBS News showed passengers standing near one of the aircraft's engines, which appeared damaged. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that the pedestrian had breached airport security, scaled a perimeter fence and ran onto the runway.
The airport later stated it examined the fenceline and found it to be intact. The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and is participating in the investigation. Runway 17L remained closed for several hours while crews examined the scene.
