A Frontier Airlines flight leaving Denver International Airport on Friday evening reported that it hit a person on the runway, forcing the pilots to abort take-off as smoke filled the cabin.

Flight 4345 said it struck a pedestrian during take-off at about 11:19 p.m. local time, Denver International Airport said in a post on X. The Airbus A321 plane heading to Los Angeles International Airport was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, the airline said in a statement. 

“There was a brief engine fire that was promptly extinguished by the Denver Fire Dept.,” the Denver airport said on X. The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and the affected runway will remain closed while investigations are conducted, it said.

Neither the airport nor the airline gave an update of the person who was struck. This is the latest in a string of incidents that have put the spotlight on aviation safety in the US.

Earlier this month, a United Airlines Holdings Inc. plane grazed a vehicle and light post on an adjacent highway in its final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport. 

In March, an Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck shortly after landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing the captain and co-pilot. 

In a recording of the air traffic control communications on ATC.com, one of the Frontier pilots was heard saying to the controller: “Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway. We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

Frontier said it’s investigating the incident and “gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

“We are deeply saddened by this event,” it said.

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Published on May 9, 2026