Denver Airport Runway Incident, Plane Stops Takeoff: 'Wow, We Just Hit Someone… We've Got An Engine On Fire'

A Frontier Airlines passenger plane aborted takeoff on the runway after suffering an engine fire and reportedly struck a person on the runway at Denver International Airport, according to the airline and airport authorities cited by Reuters.

What the pilots said, according to the conversation with the control tower.

“To the tower, this is (Flight) Frontier 4345, stopping on the runway.”

“Whoa, we just hit someone… we have an engine on fire”

🚨 #BREAKING 🚨 #DenverAirport Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 hits person on runway — Engine fire reported.

ATC Audio:
• “Tower, Frontier 4345, we're stopping on the runway.”
• “Uh, there we just hit somebody… we have an engine fire.”
Crew reports 231 souls on board + fuel… pic.twitter.com/D0yVxN0HBp

— SLCScanner (@SLCScanner) May 9, 2026

Denver International Airport said a brief engine fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters.

The airline said smoke was reported in the cabin of the Airbus A321 and the pilots aborted takeoff.

Frontier Airlines also stated that the Los Angeles-bound flight was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members, all of whom were evacuated safely.

Neither the airline nor the airport provided details about the pedestrian who was allegedly hit.

Frontier said it is investigating the incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.

At least one passenger suffered a minor injury, according to ABC News.

Photo: Robin Guess | Dreamstime.com