‘We’re all going to die’: Frontier Airlines passengers recount moment plane hit intruder on runway

DENVER, COLORADO: After a Frontier Airlines plane struck a person in an apparent security breach, a family consisting of a father and his two sons shared their near-death experience, saying they thought they were “going to die.”

A late-night departure from Denver International Airport on Friday, May 8, turned into a terrifying emergency after a person who breached airport security was fatally struck by a departing aircraft.

Frontier Airlines passengers recount deadly runway ordeal

Describing the horrifying ordeal, 56-year-old Nebraskan John Anthens said he believed that he and his sons, Jacob, 30, and Levi, 19, would not survive the accident.

“When the engine blew up, I thought, ‘Oh sh-t, we’re all going to die,” John Anthens told the New York Post.

The father said the front part of the plane suddenly lifted upward, followed by a very loud impact sound inside the aircraft that resembled an explosion.

Jacob then said his father saw a person on the runway come very close to the plane before the individual was fatally struck.

“My dad said when the engine fire went up, he was able to see the legs of a human …which sounds like emotional trauma to me,” Jacob explained.

The father and sons remained in their seats, struggling to breathe through smoke coming from the engine, while the flight crew repeatedly urged passengers to stay seated.

“I would say the majority of people didn’t know what was going on or what happened, but there was just a big explosion,” John said. “And obviously, you hear a big explosion, people start screaming, kids are crying, and it was horrific.”

The family ultimately decided to cancel their first-ever trip to California because of the traumatic experience they endured before takeoff.

Pokémon Go trip turns tragic after runway incident

The father and his elder son had planned to compete in a Pokémon Go tournament at the LA Convention Center during their first-ever trip to California, but the incident changed their plans entirely.

“I thought I had a real chance to make some noise there,” Jacob said. “We were going to go have some fun, and never got that opportunity,” John added.

The family declined the offer of another flight and decided to call off the trip altogether. As of Saturday morning, they were traveling back to Omaha in a rental car.

“[Need to] get our mind on something other than somebody blowing up in an engine,” John said, sharing their plans to go whitewater rafting.

Frontier Airlines runway intruder killed during takeoff

The incident, which resulted in the death of the person on the runway, stemmed from a security breach and forced an aborted takeoff, an emergency response, and the evacuation of hundreds of passengers.

The Frontier Airlines flight was headed to Los Angeles International Airport from Denver International Airport. The fatal incident involving an Airbus A321 operated by Frontier, carrying more than 220 passengers and crew members, has now triggered an investigation.