Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 Hits Person at Denver Airport Accident
Frontier Airlines flight 4345 struck and killed a person during takeoff at the denver airport accident at Denver International Airport on Friday night. The Airbus A321 had been headed to Los Angeles, and the pilot told air traffic control, "We’re stopping on the runway."
The plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, Frontier Airlines said. Emergency crews evacuated everyone using slides, then bused the passengers to the terminal after the collision.
Denver International Airport runway 17L
The aircraft reported striking a pedestrian at about 11.19pm on Friday. The pilot then told the tower, "We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire."
The pilot also said the aircraft had "231 souls" on board, and later told the tower they "have smoke in the aircraft" before adding, "We are going to evacuate on the runway." Firefighters responded to the plane, and the airport said runway 17L would remain closed while investigators worked the scene.
Sean Duffy on the breach
An airport spokesperson said the person had jumped a perimeter fence and had been at the airport for about two minutes before being hit. The spokesperson also said the dead person had not been identified and was not believed to be an airport employee.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the person killed as a trespasser who breached security at Denver’s airport and said the person had deliberately scaled a perimeter fence and run onto a runway. In an X post, he wrote, "No one should EVER trespass on an airport."
Duffy said 12 people were hurt and five were hospitalized. Denver’s airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified, and Duffy said local law enforcement, the FAA and the TSA would support the investigation.
Airport investigation continues
The collision left investigators to sort out how a person got onto the runway area and reached the plane during takeoff. The immediate consequence for travelers is a closed runway, an evacuation on the tarmac and a federal investigation that now includes airport security, the FAA, the TSA and local law enforcement.
