Additional Coverage:
- Footage shows moments before Frontier Airlines jet struck person on Denver airport runway (foxnews.com)
Newly released surveillance footage reveals the tragic moment a Frontier Airlines aircraft struck and killed an individual who had entered the runway at Denver International Airport late Friday night.
Thermal imaging from the video, obtained by KDVR, shows the unidentified person climbing over a perimeter fence before walking directly into the path of the departing plane.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared on X that the trespasser was hit by Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 during its high-speed takeoff. The pilot immediately aborted the takeoff following the collision.
The incident took place around 11:19 p.m. as the aircraft was attempting to leave the runway. The impact caused a brief engine fire, which was quickly extinguished by airport responders, according to an official post by Denver International Airport.
Radio communications recorded after the crash depict the grim scene: a first responder reported, “Runway 17L is closed. I do have limbs on the runway. I believe the aircraft struck an individual.”
ABC News reported that the individual was at least partially consumed by one of the plane’s engines.
In addition to this fatality, officials confirmed that 12 people were injured in the incident, with five transported to a local hospital for treatment. The identity of the person struck has not been released.
A Denver Airport spokesperson told Fox News Digital that security teams and Denver Police regularly patrol the airport perimeter. They noted that the individual scaled the barbed-wire fence and was hit within two minutes. The airport later confirmed that a thorough inspection of the fence line found it intact.
Denver International Airport expressed deep sorrow over the incident, extending sympathies to those affected.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Frontier Airlines are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.