Man killed after being hit by plane at Denver airport, chilling audio of pilot surfaces: We just hit somebody
The impact caused a sudden engine fire on the Airbus A321neo, forcing pilots to stop the takeoff immediately.
PTC News Desk: A Frontier Airlines flight leaving Denver International Airport turned into a tragic incident late Friday night after the plane hit a man who had breached the airport security and entered active runway, causing an engine fire and emergency evacuation.
The flight, Frontier Flight 4345 to Los Angeles, had 224 passengers and seven crew members onboard. The accident happened around 11.19 pm local time when the man reportedly jumped over the airport fence and walked onto the active runway. The aircraft struck him while taking off.
The impact caused a sudden engine fire on the Airbus A321neo, forcing pilots to stop the takeoff immediately. In air traffic control audio that later went viral, the pilot can be heard saying, “Tower, Frontier 4345, we are stopping on the runway. We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
Airport officials later confirmed the seriousness of the incident, saying human body parts were found on the runway.
Passengers said panic spread inside the plane as smoke filled the cabin after the engine explosion. The Denver Fire Department quickly controlled the fire, but many passengers were terrified.
One passenger told The New York Post that he thought everyone was going to die when the engine exploded. He described hearing a loud blast, children crying, people screaming, and thick smoke inside the aircraft.
Another passenger sitting near the window said he saw flames coming out of the engine and later believed he saw human remains inside it. His son said the experience deeply shocked the family.
According to FlightAware data, the plane was moving at around 139 mph when the collision happened. Photos from the scene showed passengers evacuating using emergency slides, wrapped in blankets near the damaged aircraft.
Authorities confirmed the victim was not an airport employee. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the man had deliberately climbed over the airport fence before entering the runway, calling him a trespasser. He added, “No one should ever trespass on an airport.”