Newly released airport surveillance video shows a person walking onto Runway 17L at Denver International Airport moments before being hit and killed by an aircraft taking off for Los Angeles. The collision involved Frontier Flight 4345 and happened at 11:19 p.m., airport officials said.
Radio traffic at 11:18 p.m. shows crews already knew someone was on the runway. One dispatcher said, “We have a party on Runway 17L. We’re sending fire [inaud] for that.” A responder then said, “Runway 17L is closed,” and added, “I do have limbs on the runway. I believe the aircraft struck an individual.”
The impact triggered an engine fire and forced an evacuation of the aircraft. Twelve passengers suffered minor injuries in the incident, according to Denver International Airport officials. The surveillance video, which uses thermal imaging, shows the person crossing the runway before the collision. The aircraft had already begun its takeoff roll when the person entered the danger zone.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the person was trespassing on airport property and had scaled the perimeter fence before walking onto the runway. Denver Airport covers 53 square miles, a scale that has long made security a central concern for anyone responsible for keeping people off active pavement and away from aircraft.
Randy Klatt, an aviation expert, said the timing left little room for pilots or crews to react. “Their jet was already rolling,” he said. “The timing just tells me that it was something that would be very difficult to stop within that short period of time.”
Klatt said an incident like this can push officials to look harder at security standards. “Do we need to have more robust regulations that require more intense security?” he asked. “Because obviously security of the airport is very important.”
The Denver Police Department is investigating the incident with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration. The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet decided whether the case meets the threshold for a formal investigation. What is already clear is that the runway was known to be occupied before the collision, but not cleared in time to prevent a death.
