On May 8, 2026, an aviation tragedy occurred in Denver, USA: a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 passenger plane struck and killed a person on the runway.

The airliner was operating flight 4345 to Los Angeles. At approximately 23:19 PM local time (06:19 AM Moscow time), while accelerating down the runway, the pilots noticed a person in their path. According to the airport, the unidentified person had climbed over the perimeter fence just two minutes earlier and entered the restricted area. At the time of impact, the plane had already reached a speed of approximately 235 km/h.

The collision of one of the plane's engines caused a brief fire, and the cabin quickly began filling with smoke. The pilots immediately aborted the takeoff and brought the plane to a stop on the runway. The crew then conducted an emergency evacuation of all 231 people (according to some sources, 224 passengers and 7 crew members) via inflatable slides.

The offender, whose identity has not yet been established (it is known that he was not an airport employee), died at the scene from his injuries.

Of those on board, 12 people sustained minor injuries, five of whom were taken to hospitals. Authorities noted that the airport fence was inspected after the incident and no damage was found.