A horrific accident occurred at Denver International Airport late on Friday night when a pedestrian was sucked into the engine of a Frontier Airlines airplane as it powered down the runway for takeoff, sucking the person into the engine, which caused an engine fire and an emergency evacuation onto the runway.
Flight Details:
- Airline: Frontier Airlines
- Flight Number: F9-4345
- Route: Denver (DEN) to Los Angeles (LAX)
- Aircraft: A321 (Registration: N646FR)
- Engines: 2 x Pratt & Whitney PW1133G turbofan engines
The accident involved a Frontier Airbus A321 wearing the Cedar, the Florida Scrub Jay livery, with 231 passengers and crew onboard.
The two-year-old aircraft was operating Frontier flight F9-4345 from Denver to Los Angeles, which was meant to be a short two-hour flight departing at around 10:30 pm MT.
The aircraft pushed back from the gate as normal and taxied to Runway 17L for takeoff. The pilots were then given permission to takeoff but just moments later, the Captain interrupted air traffic control communications with an emergency transmission.
- Pilot: Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway. We just somebody. We have an engine fire.
- Tower: 4345, I see that… I’m gonna be rolling the trucks now (airport fire trucks). Do you know the souls on board and fuel remaining?
- Pilot: All right, Frontier 4345, we have 232 souls on board, we have 12,320 pounds of fuel on board.
- Pilot: There was an individual walking across the runway.
- Tower: Okay, we are rolling the trucks down.
- Pilot: We’ve got smoke in the aircraft, we’re going to evacuate on the runway.
The aircraft reached a maximum speed of around 127 knots according to preliminary data supplied by Flight Radar 24 before the pilots hit the brakes and brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway.
Runway 17L runs along the eastern perimeter of Denver International Airport, which is the second-largest commercial airfield in the world, taking up more than 135.7 square km. In comparison, the third-largest airfield in the world is Dallas Fort Worth, which only takes up 69.6 square km.
A Frontier Airlines flight bound for LAX hit a person on the runway during takeoff from Denver International Airport on Friday.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) May 9, 2026
The Airbus A321 was taking off from runway 17L when it appeared to strike an individual walking on the runway. The pilot quickly aborted the takeoff.… pic.twitter.com/CtxCEYgYwl
In a statement, a spokesperson for Denver International Airport commented: “Frontier Flight 4345 reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday, May 8 2026.”
“There was a brief engine fire that was promptly extinguished by the Denver Fire Department. Emergency crews responded to the scene and bussed passengers to the terminal. 231 souls were on board.”
The statement added: “Emergency response and investigation are ongoing. The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified. Runway 17L will remain closed while the investigation is conducted.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB have yet to comment on the accident.
In July 2025, a person was sucked into the engine of an aircraft that was preparing for takeoff from Milan Bergamo Airport. The victim was a trespasser who broke onto the airfield as Spanish low-cost airline flight Volotea V7-3511 was taxiing to the runway for takeoff.
At the time, the engines of the Airbus A319 would have been running at such a high speed that the victim was sucked into the left-hand engine as soon as they stepped into the so-called ‘danger zone.’
Sources claim the man had driven to the airport and broke into the ground floor arrivals area. He then broke through a door that led onto the tarmac as police gave chase.
He then sprinted towards the Volotea Airlines plane and was sucked into the engine before he could be apprehended.
