Boeing jet catches fire on runway in US, dramatic evacuation follows
The flight, designated as Flight 3023 and bound for Miami, had 173 passengers and six crew members on board when the issue occurred Saturday afternoon
PTC News Desk: Passengers aboard an American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 were evacuated at Denver International Airport on Saturday after the plane aborted takeoff due to a landing gear malfunction that led to a fire and smoke coming from the aircraft.
The flight, designated as Flight 3023 and bound for Miami, had 173 passengers and six crew members on board when the issue occurred Saturday afternoon. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft reported a potential landing gear failure during departure, prompting an immediate halt to takeoff. Emergency slides were deployed on the runway to evacuate passengers. The FAA has launched an investigation into the incident.
Live air traffic control audio captured by 9News revealed the urgency of the situation, with a controller alerting the cockpit, “Flight 2023, you got a lot of smoke. There were some flames. Looks like the smoke is dying down a bit.” The controller soon added, “You are actually on fire.” Video from the scene showed passengers descending the emergency slides as heavy smoke emerged from the aircraft’s rear left side. The Denver Fire Department quickly responded and confirmed in a social media post at 5:10 p.m. local time that the fire had been extinguished.
In a statement, American Airlines said the aircraft experienced a mechanical issue during the takeoff roll, involving a tire. “All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was removed from service for a full inspection by our maintenance team,” the airline stated, thanking its staff for their professionalism and apologising to passengers.
Travel to Miami continued later that day on a replacement aircraft. Emergency responders evaluated five people at the scene, while a sixth was assessed at the gate and taken to a local hospital with a minor injury.
American Airlines confirmed the affected plane is now under inspection, and the FAA added that passengers were transported to the terminal by bus after the evacuation.