Air traffic control audio captured the frantic moments after a Frontier Airlines jet struck a person on a runway at Denver International Airport, forcing pilots to abort takeoff and evacuate passengers late Friday night.
The individual who was hit was pronounced dead at the scene and has not been identified. Officials said the person was not believed to be an airport employee.
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About 30 seconds after receiving clearance for departure, the pilot of Frontier Flight 4345 radioed the tower: “Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway. We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
The Airbus A321 was departing Denver for Los Angeles International Airport at about 11:19 p.m. and was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, airport officials said.
As controllers coordinated emergency crews, they asked the flight crew to confirm how many people were aboard. The pilot replied, “We have 231 souls on board … there was an individual walking across the runway.”
Moments later, the pilot warned that conditions inside the aircraft were worsening.
“We’ve got smoke on the aircraft, we’re going to evacuate on the runway,” he said, according to the audio recording.
Passengers slid onto the runway and were later bused back to the terminal. Most continued to their destination on a replacement Frontier flight, airport officials said.
Denver airport authorities said the person struck breached security by jumping a perimeter fence and was hit within minutes while crossing the runway. Inspections found the fence line intact, officials said.
Twelve people reported minor injuries related to the evacuation, and five were taken to local hospitals for evaluation. No serious injuries among passengers or crew were reported.
In a statement, Frontier Airlines confirmed the aircraft struck a pedestrian during takeoff and said smoke in the cabin prompted the aborted departure and evacuation. The airline said it is cooperating with investigators and is “deeply saddened by this event.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the person as a “trespasser” and emphasized that breaching airport security can have catastrophic consequences.
“No one should EVER trespass on an airport,” Duffy said in a statement following the incident.
Runway 17L was closed for several hours as authorities investigated. The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified, and the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration are assisting in the investigation, officials said.
