Moment taxiing airplane hits person on Denver runway seen in horrifying new video

A person trespassing on an airport runway was fatally struck by a Frontier Airlines plane at a Colorado airport on Saturday, May 9. The trespasser was seen calmly walking across the runway while the aircraft barreled toward them, according to new surveillance footage. The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was sucked into one of the engines of the Airbus A321neo mid-takeoff at Denver International Airport. The person had jumped the perimeter fence and was on the tarmac when they were mowed down at 11:19 p.m., the airport confirmed. New security video released by the City and County of Denver shows the horrifying moment the person was struck while walking on the runway. The victim can be seen walking from one end to the other with little urgency. They appeared to be perfectly aligned with one of the plane’s engines when part of their upper body was sucked inside, according to the harrowing footage. The collision occurred roughly two minutes after the individual hopped the fence, KHOU 11 reported. The plane was moving at 139 mph at the time of the crash, according to FlightAware. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asserted that the “trespasser breached security” and “ran out onto the runway.” “No one should EVER trespass on an airport,” Duffy wrote on X. Passenger John Anthens, who was on the plane with his sons, was looking out the window when he saw “the legs of a human spinning around in the engine.” “The majority of people didn’t know what was going on or what happened, but there was just a big explosion and, obviously, when you hear a big explosion, people start screaming, kids are crying and it was horrific,” Anthens told The Post. The nose of the plane jerked upward on impact as a “bomb”-like explosion rattled the cabin, Anthens said. The engine burst into flames moments later as passengers remained in their seats at the flight attendants’ behest. All 224 passengers and seven crew members were safely evacuated from the plane. Anthens’ son, John, stopped at the bottom of the inflatable evacuation slide and took a picture of the mangled engine — which was coated in the victim’s flesh and blood. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. See video below. Surveillance footage shows the moment a person walked across an active runway before being struck by a frontier airlines jet pic.twitter.com/1LTrFH1Bus— mrredpillz jokaqarmy (@JOKAQARMY1) May 11, 2026 Surveillance footage shows the moment a person walked across an active runway before being struck by a frontier airlines jet pic.twitter.com/1LTrFH1Bus — mrredpillz jokaqarmy (@JOKAQARMY1) May 11, 2026 WARNING: A man jumps a fence at Denver International Airport & runs onto active runway and is struck & killed by Frontier Flight 4345 during takeoff. The Airbus A321 was doing 146 MPH on impact. Engine fire erupted. 231 passengers evacuated via emergency slides. 12 injured.… pic.twitter.com/6VXJile9mp— Brandon Tatum (@TheOfficerTatum) May 9, 2026 WARNING: A man jumps a fence at Denver International Airport & runs onto active runway and is struck & killed by Frontier Flight 4345 during takeoff. The Airbus A321 was doing 146 MPH on impact. Engine fire erupted. 231 passengers evacuated via emergency slides. 12 injured.… pic.twitter.com/6VXJile9mp — Brandon Tatum (@TheOfficerTatum) May 9, 2026