An American Airlines flight erupted in flames during takeoff at Denver International Airport on Saturday, forcing terrified passengers to flee down emergency slides as thick smoke poured from the aircraft.
Flight 3023, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 bound for Miami, was accelerating for takeoff around 2:45 p.m. local time when it suffered what officials described as a “landing gear incident,” prompting the crew to abort takeoff.
According to cockpit audio captured by Live ATC and reported by 9News, an air traffic controller urgently radioed the pilot: “Flight 2023, you got a lot of smoke.” Moments later, the controller added bluntly: “You are actually on fire.”
Video posted to social media shows the harrowing aftermath, with flames engulfing the rear left side of the plane as panicked passengers scrambled down an inflatable slide to escape.
Black smoke billowed from beneath the aircraft as crew members rushed to evacuate all 173 passengers and six crew members onboard.
The Denver Fire Department confirmed it had fully extinguished the blaze by 5:10 p.m. local time, announcing the operation on social media. American Airlines said in a statement that the issue was linked to one of the jet’s tires, though investigators have yet to release a detailed cause.
“All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,” the airline said. “We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for their experience.”
Emergency responders evaluated six people for minor injuries, and one passenger was transported to a local hospital for further treatment, according to Denver 7. The remaining passengers were accommodated on a different aircraft to continue their journey to Miami later that day.
One passenger who filmed the evacuation described the chaos as “absolutely terrifying,” saying the cabin quickly filled with smoke as crew urged everyone to get out as fast as possible.
Authorities have yet to confirm how long the aircraft had been taxiing before the landing gear failed, but the Federal Aviation Administration said it would be investigating the incident alongside American Airlines’ maintenance team.
The near-disaster is the latest in a string of mechanical scares involving commercial aircraft this summer, though no serious injuries were reported in this case.