American Airlines Flight’s Tyre Catches Fire at Denver Airport, Forcing Emergency Evacuation

An American Airlines flight aborted its takeoff at Denver International Airport (DEN) on Saturday after its landing gear caught fire, prompting a chaotic emergency evacuation on the runway. The flight, AA3023 bound for Miami, was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 173 passengers and six crew members. The incident occurred around 2:45 PM local time when first responders were alerted to flames coming from the aircraft’s wheels.

Dramatic videos circulating on social media show passengers using emergency slides to escape the aircraft as thick smoke billowed from the left rear section of the plane. The Denver Fire Department responded quickly to the scene and had extinguished the blaze by 5:10 PM local time. One passenger was transported to a hospital with a minor injury, while five others were evaluated at the scene.

In a statement, American Airlines confirmed the aircraft “experienced a maintenance issue” with a tyre on the landing gear during the takeoff roll. The airline stated, “All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team”. Passengers were to be rebooked on a replacement aircraft to continue their journey to Miami.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has acknowledged the “possible landing gear incident” and confirmed it will launch an investigation. Air traffic control audio captured the tense moments, with a controller alerting the cockpit, “You are actually on fire”.

This incident follows a similar event in March at the same airport, where another American Airlines plane caught fire due to what was later determined to be a maintenance issue involving a fuel leak. Social media users reacted with a mix of shock and concern, with some commenting on the increasing frequency of such aviation incidents