Newly released air traffic control audio captured the tense moments after a Frontier Airlines plane fatally struck a person during takeoff at Denver International Airport.
The incident occurred late May 8 when Frontier Flight 4345, en route to Los Angeles, struck a person who had entered the runway after scaling the airport's perimeter fence.
Highlights
- A person was fatally struck by Frontier Flight 4345 at Denver International Airport after scaling a perimeter fence and walking onto the runway.
- The impact caused a brief engine fire and filled the cabin with smoke.
- Authorities confirmed the individual was a trespasser.
After the crash, an engine fire started, and smoke filled the aircraft, which forced the evacuation of more than 200 passengers.
As the audio spread online, many questioned how someone could have accessed the runway.
“How does one get hit by an airplane?” one person commented.
A newly released audio revealed pilots telling air traffic control about hitting a person
Image credits: OC_Scanner
According to airport officials, the incident happened at approximately 11:19 p.m. on May 8 at Denver International Airport.
Frontier Flight 4345 had just begun takeoff when it struck an unidentified person crossing the runway.
Audio from air traffic control recorded the pilots' immediate response moments after impact.
“Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway. Uh, we just hit somebody… we have an engine fire,” the pilot said over the radio.
Image credits: Forbes
The pilot later added, “There was an individual walking across the runway,” while also confirming there were 231 people onboard, including passengers and crew members.
Another segment of the audio recorded airport staff describing the grisly aftermath on the runway.
“I do have limbs on the runway. I believe the aircraft struck an individual,” one airport worker reportedly said. Another later added, “There appear to be human remains on the runway.”
Image credits: Forbes
Officials later confirmed the individual scaled the airport’s perimeter fence minutes before the crash. Authorities stated the person was not an airport employee and has not yet been publicly identified.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later described the person as a “trespasser.”
“Late last night, a trespasser breached airport security at Denver Int’l Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway,” Duffy wrote online. “No one should EVER trespass on an airport.”
The incident reportedly caused an engine fire and smoke inside the cabin
During takeoff, the Frontier Airbus A321neo was traveling at approximately 139 mph when the impact occurred, according to FlightAware.
Authorities said the person was partially ingested by an aircraft engine, which then ignited. The Denver Fire Department promptly extinguished the flames.
Passengers on board described the terrifying moments that followed.
“When the engine blew up, I thought, ‘Oh s--t, we’re all going to d*e,’” passenger John Anthens told reporters after the incident.
Most passengers only heard a loud explosion before panic erupted.
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“There was just a big explosion and, obviously, when you hear a big explosion, people start screaming, kids are crying, and it was horrific,” he explained.
Photos and videos shared online showed smoke filling the cabin as passengers evacuated using inflatable emergency slides. Some were later seen wrapped in blankets near the aircraft.
Another passenger, Jose Cervantes, described seeing flames coming from the plane’s wing area after hearing the impact.
“I thought I was going to burn to d*ath,” he said. “When I saw the fire and the smoke, I just thought I was going to burn.”
Airport officials later confirmed that 12 people reported minor injuries during the evacuation, while five were transported to nearby hospitals.
As audio clips and videos from the scene went online, many people reacted with disbelief over how the situation even happened
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“Like they didn’t see the big airplane coming towards them!?” one person commented.
Another wrote, “Didn’t know planes took off from the sidewalk, common sense would say stay off the runway.”
Others questioned why the collision caused smoke and engine problems inside the aircraft.
“How did striking someone on the runway lead to smoke and engine fire requiring emergency evacuation?” one user asked online.
A few people also speculated about what the unidentified individual may have been trying to do before the incident occurred.
“Makes me wonder what the person was trying to do,” one comment read.
Another joked, “Maybe he was trying to ‘catch’ the plane.”
Meanwhile, aviation authorities have launched an official investigation into the incident. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are now reviewing what happened.
Frontier Airlines also released a statement saying the company is “deeply saddened by this event” and is cooperating with investigators.
"American airline industry has gotten worse over the last few years," wrote one netizen
