An American Airlines flight preparing for takeoff at Denver International Airport was abruptly halted on Saturday after the landing gear caught fire, prompting a dramatic evacuation of all passengers via emergency slides.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8, carrying 173 passengers, was headed to Miami International Airport when the incident occurred around 2:45 p.m., according to airline officials. One passenger was hospitalized with minor injuries, while five others were treated at the scene.
“I Heard a Loud Boom”
Video footage captured by a passenger and shared with NBC News shows the aircraft accelerating down the runway, followed by a loud bang, intense shaking, and then the aircraft coming to a sudden stop. A large piece of debris was seen rolling from beneath the plane.
“I heard a loud boom, so I knew something blew up under the plane,” said passenger Mark Tsurkis. “Then somebody said, ‘Look!’ We looked out and saw one of the wheels rolling away.”
After the plane stopped, the cabin began filling with the smell of burning, prompting someone to shout “Fire!” That’s when the emergency slides were deployed and passengers scrambled to safety.
Bags Over Safety?
While all passengers and six crew members exited safely, online criticism erupted after videos showed some evacuees carrying their cabin bags — a move aviation officials strongly discourage during emergencies.
“Leave your luggage behind!” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X.
A recent FAA study echoed that urgency, concluding that baggage retrieval significantly slows evacuations.
Airline Response and Investigation
American Airlines labeled the issue a “maintenance problem” involving a tire and confirmed the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection by engineers.
“We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for their experience,” the airline stated.
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the incident.
Passengers from Flight 3023 were rebooked on a later flight to Miami.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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