Denver Runway Tragedy: Frontier Flight Hits and Kills Person on Takeoff

A Frontier Airlines flight departing Denver International Airport struck and killed a person on the runway late Friday night, triggering a chaotic evacuation that left a dozen passengers with minor injuries and five hospitalized. The incident, which occurred around 11:19 p.m., has prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to consider a formal safety investigation into the emergency response.

The flight, bound for Los Angeles, was accelerating for takeoff when it hit an individual on the runway. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy identified the deceased as a trespasser who “deliberately scaled a permit fence and ran out onto a runway.” Local law enforcement, with help from the FAA and TSA, is leading the security breach investigation.

Passengers deployed emergency slides to exit the Airbus A321, which carried 224 passengers and seven crew members. They were later bused back to the terminal. But some travelers described a harrowing wait inside the smoke-filled cabin before being let out onto the cold tarmac. “We sat there for minutes with smoke building up,” one passenger said. “Then we were left outside in freezing weather.”

The NTSB is now gathering details on the evacuation. “We are determining if it meets criteria for a safety investigation,” spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said Sunday.

Frontier Airlines confirmed it is coordinating with airport and safety authorities. The incident came just one day after a Delta Air Lines worker died at Orlando International Airport when a vehicle struck a jet bridge.

A graphic video circulating on social media, apparently taken by a passenger, captures the sound of a loud impact and screams. The NTSB has not commented on the footage.