In a terrifying incident at Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon, an American Airlines flight heading to Miami was forced to abort takeoff after one of its tyres caught fire on the runway. 173 passengers and crew members were on board the Boeing 737 MAX 8 at the time of the takeoff. Fortunately, all of them were safely evacuated.
American Airlines Boeing 737 Tyre Catches Fire
The flight, numbered AA-3023, was just about to take off from Denver around 2:45 pm local time when the crew noticed something was wrong. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane reported a possible issue with its landing gear, and soon after, smoke and flames were spotted near one of the tyres.
The airline later clarified that a maintenance problem with the tyre led to the malfunction. Emergency protocols were quickly put in place swiftly. The pilot aborted the takeoff, and the plane was brought to a stop on the runway, NDTV reported. With the fire growing and smoke filling the area, the crew made the decision to begin an emergency evacuation.
Videos of passengers evacuating the plane from emergency slides quickly went viral on social media platforms. As passengers ran away from the aircraft, thick smoke was also emitted from the aircraft. Everyone on board was safely evacuated, and the passengers were then transported by bus back to the terminal.
Quick Response From Fire Teams
As per the statement released by Denver International Airport, the first responders and the Denver Fire Department were alerted immediately. Firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire by around 5:10 pm, as per the NDTV reports. The airport also confirmed that five people were evaluated by medical teams on the scene but were not taken to the hospital. However, one person did suffer a minor injury and was transported for further medical attention.
The FAA has announced that it will investigate Saturday’s fire incident thoroughly. In order to determine exactly what went wrong, American Airlines says their maintenance team will examine the aircraft, which has been taken out of service. Although all passengers were safely evacuated, the incident has sparked new conversations about emergency preparedness, passenger safety, and aircraft maintenance.
Cover Image Courtesy: Siju Moothedath/X