Several Frontier Airlines passengers suffered minor injuries over the weekend when their plane, departing from the Denver airport, struck a person trespassing on the runway. That person was killed after being hit by the plane's engine, which caused an explosion and fire that aborted the takeoff.
That man has now been identified, which is raising questions about whether this was a sinister act, given his extensive criminal history.
Authorities said Michael Mott, 41, was the man hit by the plane on May 9. Mott has been arrested 20 times previously, including for attempted murder. He was most recently arrested about a month before he trespassed at the Denver airport.
NEW: The man who walked in front of a Frontier plane, which nearly ended in catastrophe for the passengers, had 20 previous arrests, including for attempted murder.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 12, 2026
41-year-old Michael Mott's most recent arrest was just one month before he trespassed at the airport.
In 2005,… pic.twitter.com/u58HGorhZp
Mott was arrested in 2005 for attempted murder, a charge that was later pleaded down to second-degree assault. For that crime, Mott was sentenced to six years in prison. During his time behind bars, he was also charged with felony assault using a weapon.
Despite that, Mott continued his life of crime after his release, and charges included felony assault on a peace officer, domestic violence, and other crimes.
This makes people wonder if Mott didn't try to kill a plane full of people with his final act.
This guy failed at murdering a person so he attempted to kill a plane.
— Based Electrician⚡️🇺🇲 (@ComeAndTakeIt) May 12, 2026
I guess one person ended up dying in the end 🤔 pic.twitter.com/pIb3WvMHEJ
Thankfully, Mott will never be able to harm another person again.
Activist judges are costing innocent American lives. Thank God no one on the plane was hurt.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) May 12, 2026
Yes, they are.
A Hungarian billionaire has used private and public fortunes to ensure that destructive dregs remain free to terrorize and degrade American society.
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) May 12, 2026
A serious country would do something about that. https://t.co/grRpFQIncL
We should do something about that.
Stop. Releasing. Repeat. Violent felons. https://t.co/FYhz0UlxNB
— Erin Monday (@ErinMondays) May 12, 2026
It's not hard. If we enacted even a three-strikes rule, violent crime would drop dramatically.
So the guy who nearly killed a plane full of people was yet another beneficiary of this stupid plea bargaining system we have so pathetic prosecutors can get some convictions under their belts and blue cities can claim they have very little violent crime. https://t.co/dJeHHSlgw8
— Branch Floridian (@JackLinFLL) May 12, 2026
The irony, of course, is that had the system kept Mott behind bars or forced mental health treatment on people, he might still be alive.
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