A Frontier Airlines jet preparing to depart Denver International Airport for Los Angeles struck and killed a pedestrian on the runway Friday night, triggering an engine fire and a chaotic scene later captured in disturbing videos circulating online.<\/p>\n
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Denver International Airport confirmed that Frontier Flight 4345, bound for Los Angeles International Airport, reported striking a pedestrian at approximately 11:19 p.m. local time (1:19 a.m. ET Saturday), after which an engine fire broke out and was subsequently extinguished.<\/p>\n
According to airport officials, the pedestrian had breached a perimeter fence roughly two minutes before the incident and was pronounced dead at the scene. The individual has not been publicly identified and is not believed to have been an airport employee.<\/p>\n
It is not clear if the engine fire was related to the collision.<\/p>\n
The plane, a narrow-body Airbus A321, was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, who were evacuated via slides after smoke filled the cabin, the airline said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe aircraft reportedly struck a pedestrian on the runway during takeoff. Smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff,\u201d the airline said. \u201cWe are deeply saddened by this event.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Denver airport said that 12 people reported minor injuries, including five who were transported to local hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,\u201d the airport said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Footage posted to social media by a passenger appears to capture the moment of impact during takeoff. A loud crashing sound can be heard, followed by screams from passengers inside the plane.<\/p>\n
Mohamed Hassan, a passenger on the flight, described the chaotic scene on the plane to NBC affiliate KUSA. <\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly it was the scariest experience of my life,\u201d he said. \u201cI was on the flight and I looked to my right and I just saw a fire, I heard a loud boom, people started screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I was going to die,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Hassan said that passengers were stuck on the plane for about three minutes before being evacuated, during which he inhaled \u201ca lot of toxic fumes.\u201d He said that passengers were screaming and \u201cemotions were really high at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n
As they got off the plane using emergency slides, another passenger recorded dimly-lit videos appearing to show damaged engine blades.<\/p>\n
Emergency crews responded to the scene and bused passengers to the terminal, the airport said.<\/p>\n
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is investigating the incident.<\/p>\n
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the incident in a post on X<\/a> on Saturday, writing that \u201ca trespasser breached airport security at Denver Int\u2019l Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one should EVER trespass on an airport,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n