Denver International Airport: Runway Incursions

Serious incursions (Category A and B)

• 2026-05-08 · Denver International Airport · A21N · RWY 17L · Category A

  A PEDESTRIAN ENTERED RWY 17L WITHOUT ATC AUTHORIZATION. A PEDESTRIAN BREACHED THE PERIMETER FENCE AND ENTERED RWY 17L FROM THE EAST SIDE NEAR TWY P7. AIRCRAFT 2/A21N WAS DEPARTURE ROLL RWY 17L AND STRUCK THE PEDESTRIAN APPROXIMATELY 3000 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY RESULTING IN A FATALITY. AIRCRAFT 2 EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FIRE AND ABORTED TAKEOFF. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ENSUED AND THE PASSENGERS AND CREW EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY.

• 2007-02-02 · Denver International Airport · B733 · RWY 26 · Category A

  A SNOWPLOW ENTERED RUNWAY 26 BETWEEN TAXIWAY R4 AND R6 ON THE ARF ACCESS ROAD WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION, PROCEEDED NORTHBOUND, AND CONFLICTED WITH A BOEING B733 LANDING RUNWAY 26. THE B733 WAS AT AN ESTIMATED 94 KNOTS AND APPROXIMATELY 1,283 FEET FROM THE SNOWPLOW AS THE VEHICLE ENTERED THE RUNWAY. B733 PILOT REPORTED USING MAXIMUM BRAKING WHEN HE OBSERVED THE PLOW ENTER THE RUNWAY. THE SNOWPLOW EXITED ON NORTH SIDE OF RUNWAY WITH THE B733 APPROXIMATELY 700 FEET AWAY AND AT AN ESTIMATED 56 KNOTS. DISTANCES AND SPEEDS DERIVED FROM AMASS ANALYSIS.

• 2007-01-05 · Denver International Airport · SW4 / A319 · RWY 35L · Category A

  A SWEARINGEN SW4 WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO THE RUNWAY 34 WEST COMPLEX FROM SOUTH CARGO (SC) VIA TAXIWAY MIKE AND AA. THE SW4 MISSED THE LEFT TURN FROM SC TO MIKE AND ENTERED RUNWAY 35L AT TAXIWAY M2. THE SW4 THEN TURNED LEFT ONTO THE RUNWAY AND PROCEEDED NORTHBOUND AND WAS PASSING M3 WHEN AN AIRBUS A319 WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF (.50) MILE FINAL FOR RUNWAY 35L. GROUND CONTROL (GC) ASKED THE SW4 WHERE HE WAS, DISCOVERED HE WAS ON THE RUNWAY, AND NOTIFIED LOCAL CONTROL (LC) WHO ISSUED THE GOAROUND TO THE A319. THE A319 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AT 100 FEET VERTICAL AND NEARING LANDING THRESHOLD IN DESCENT WHEN ISSUED GO AROUND. AT THAT POINT THE SW4 WAS BETWEEN M3 AND M4, 2,000 FEET DOWN THE RUNWAY. THE A319 FLEW OVER THE SW4, WHO AT THAT TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET SOUTH OF TAXIWAY M4. HEIGHT OF SW4 IS 16.8 FEET, MAKING THE CLOSEST VERTICAL PROXIMITY BETWEEN THE A319 AND SW4 AT 145 FEET AGL.