Video shows passenger jet fatally strike person on Denver airport runway

U.S. newsVideo shows passenger jet fatally strike person on Denver airport runwayThe video released Sunday shows the person walking across the runway moments before the deadly collision.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleNew inquiry into deadly runway collision at Denver’s airport01:13Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 10, 2026, 7:49 PM EDTBy Dennis Romero and Cristian SantanaVideo released Sunday by airport officials shows the moment a Frontier passenger jet struck a person on a Denver International Airport runway.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The black-and-white security video shows a figure approaching a runway and starting to cross it, seemingly at walking pace, when the aircraft streaks into view. The narrow-body Airbus A321 sweeps in from the left as the person vanishes and one of the plane’s engines catches fire. The collision happened at 11:19 p.m. Friday local time as the Frontier aircraft appeared to be moving rapidly down the runway en route to takeoff for a scheduled flight to Los Angeles International Airport, Denver International Airport said.The city and county of Denver’s Aviation Department released the video upon a public records request. Frontier said smoke entered the aircraft’s cabin as the flight was aborted. The plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crewmembers.Passenger Nikil Thalanki told NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver that he felt the aircraft begin to lift for takeoff when the collision took place.“We immediately came back down, and there was fire on the engine,” he said. “Smoke filled the cabin, completely. It was super hard to breathe.”Those on board were evacuated on inflatable evacuation slides, Thalanki said. The airport said 12 people reported minor injuries, with five ending up at hospitals. The airport said it will review security along its roughly 36 miles of perimeter fencing.In a statement Sunday, airpo...