An American Airlines flight was forced to abort its takeoff from Denver International Airport due to a landing gear malfunction, resulting in at least one injury. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, led to a chaotic evacuation as passengers fled the smoking and flaming aircraft via an inflatable emergency slide.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that American Airlines Flight 3023 experienced a landing gear issue while preparing for takeoff to Miami around 2:45 p.m. local time. Air traffic control audio, obtained from Live ATC, revealed the controller informing the pilot of the smoke emanating from the aircraft. The controller later alerted the pilot that the plane was on fire.
Passenger video footage showed a frantic scene as passengers slid down the inflatable safety slide to escape the aircraft. Thick black smoke and flames could be seen engulfing the rear left side of the plane. The Denver Fire Department confirmed via a social media post that they had successfully extinguished the fire by 5:10 p.m. local time.
The airline identified the issue as being specifically related to the Boeing 737 MAX 8’s tire. All 173 passengers and six crew members were able to evacuate the plane safely, according to a statement from American Airlines.
Following the evacuation, six people were evaluated for minor injuries, with one individual being transported to a local hospital. American Airlines confirmed that the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection by their maintenance team.
In a statement, the airline expressed gratitude towards their team members for their professionalism during the incident and apologized to their customers for the experience. Passengers were scheduled to depart for Miami on a different aircraft later that day.