A Frontier Airlines runway incident killed one person late Friday, May 8, at Denver International Airport in the United States, forcing pilots to abort takeoff, officials said.
Frontier Airlines Flight 4345, an Airbus A321 bound for Los Angeles International Airport, had started takeoff at about 11:19 p.m. when the aircraft struck a person on the runway. The jet carried 224 passengers and seven crew members.
This is the moment Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo flight 4345 to LAX struck a pedestrian on Runway 17L during the takeoff roll at Denver. pic.twitter.com/LZRL8OTaNj
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) May 9, 2026Air traffic control audio captured the pilot telling the tower that the aircraft was stopping on the runway after hitting someone. The pilot also reported an engine fire and said an individual had been walking across the runway.
A Frontier Airlines runway incident killed one person at Denver International Airport, forcing Flight 4345's pilots to abort takeoff. Read Full Story: https://t.co/pRk6YUyPt8#FrontierAirlines #Denver pic.twitter.com/bdEG7YIql4
— Photo News (@PhotoNewsPk) May 9, 2026Smoke filled the cabin after one engine caught fire, according to the source report. Authorities did not immediately identify the person killed in the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Security Service began investigating how the person reached an active runway. Officials had not confirmed whether the person worked at the airport or entered the runway from outside.
Denver police said they were assisting with the investigation and had no further information to provide at the time. Authorities said they would release the victim’s identity after notifying the next of kin.
Runway 17L remained closed after the incident. Investigators continued reviewing the circumstances that led to the fatal runway strike.
