Man Killed By Frontier Jet On Denver Runway Had 20 Prior Arrests, Including Attempted Murder

On Friday night, a Frontier Airlines flight hit somebody crossing the runway as it was on its way to take off from Denver.

The plane’s engine caught fire. Fire trucks responded to the scene. Passengers were evacuated from the aircraft. I’ve linked to air traffic control audio, video of the evacuation from both inside and outside the aircraft, and even surveillance footage of the plane impacting the person who had trespassed onto the runway (though I did not embed that video).

The man who was horrifically mangled by a jet engine after stepping in front of a Frontier Airlines plane at Denver International Airport on Friday died by suicide, authorities revealed Tuesday.

Michael Mott, 41, was seeking to end his life when he calmly walked across the… pic.twitter.com/w1JGAFA7kW

— Alec Nolan (@AlecOnFOX7) May 12, 2026

We now know that the man that was ingested committed suicide. We also know that he “had 20 previous arrests, including for attempted murder” and that the man’s “most recent arrest was just one month before he trespassed at the airport.”

In 2005, Mott was arrested for attempted murder with a gun. He later pleaded down to second-degree assault and was sentenced to just 6 years in prison.

He was also charged with felony assault using a weapon during his time in prison.

When he got out of prison, he continued to commit crimes, including felony assault on a peace officer and domestic violence, along with other crime

He scaled an 8-foot airport perimeter fence topped with barbed wire, entered a remote airfield area, and reached the active runway within about two minutes. The Frontier Airlines pilot would not have seen him in the dark, at night, as the aircraft began its takeoff roll in the distance.