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.
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.
It is not clear if the engine fire was related to the collision.
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.
The aircraft reportedly struck a pedestrian on the runway during takeoff. Smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff,” the airline said. “We are deeply saddened by this event.”
