Story perspectives

Suicide on Denver runway leaves 12 injured as plane strikes.

5/12/2026

Summary

Mott Suicide

Michael Mott, 41, was killed when a Frontier Airbus A321 struck him on a Denver runway at 11:19 p.m. Friday.
Medical examiner Sterling McLaren ruled the death a suicide, citing blunt and sharp force injuries.
Phil Washington said an alarm sounded at 11:10 p.m. and that the plane struck Mott about two minutes later.
Twelve passengers were injured in the evacuation, prompting the NTSB to review it but not investigate the crash.

Summary

Frontier Evacuates

An engine fire forced the evacuation of Frontier Flight 4345, which carried 224 passengers and seven crew.
Thick smoke and panic caused several passengers to grab carry-on bags as they slid down the slides.
Twelve passengers suffered minor injuries while five were taken to hospitals after the evacuation.
After Denver Fire Department extinguished the fire, the airline cancelled the flight for Saturday while NTSB warned that luggage retrieval can block slides.

History

Historical Context

On May 25 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 crashed seconds after takeoff from Chicago O’Hare, killing all 271 aboard and two on the ground—the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster. The NTSB traced the left-engine separation to improper maintenance, prompting tighter industry maintenance standards and guiding future safety rulemaking that continue to shape today’s evacuation-protocol reviews.

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Mott Suicide

Michael Mott, 41, was killed when a Frontier Airbus A321 struck him on a Denver runway at 11:19 p.m. Friday.
Medical examiner Sterling McLaren ruled the death a suicide, citing blunt and sharp force injuries.
Phil Washington said an alarm sounded at 11:10 p.m. and that the plane struck Mott about two minutes later.
Twelve passengers were injured in the evacuation, prompting the NTSB to review it but not investigate the crash.

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