A potential disaster was narrowly avoided at Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon when an American Airlines flight was forced to evacuate after a reported landing gear failure sparked smoke and fire during takeoff.
Flight 3023, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 scheduled to fly from Denver to Miami International Airport, was accelerating for departure when the incident occurred on the runway. Passengers were quickly evacuated using emergency slides as smoke and visible flames emerged from the aircraft’s rear, according to footage shared online.
The Denver Fire Department confirmed the emergency evacuation, noting that all 173 passengers and six crew members were safely removed from the aircraft. One individual was transported to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, while five others were assessed at the scene but did not require additional medical care.
“During the speed-up, when the plane almost took off, we heard a loud boom. I said, ‘That’s not good,’” one passenger told CBS News.
“We’re lucky it happened before we were airborne—it was just seconds before takeoff.”
Emergency response teams were swiftly deployed, and evacuated passengers were shuttled back to the terminal by bus. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the flight crew had reported “a possible landing gear incident during departure” around 2:45 p.m. local time.
American Airlines released a statement confirming that the aircraft experienced “a maintenance issue involving one of its tires” and has since been removed from service for a full inspection.
The FAA has launched a formal investigation into the cause of the incident, which comes amid heightened scrutiny of aircraft safety following recent mechanical issues in the aviation industry.
