Watch: Passengers evacuate American Airlines flight over fire, gear issue

An American Airlines flight aborted takeoff in Denver after a suspected landing gear failure and fire forced passengers to evacuate via emergency slides.

 

The flight, bound for Miami aborted its takeoff at Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon, according to a report by ABC News. A viral video from the airport showed passengers sliding down the emergency exit as smoke billowed the aircraft. 

????#BREAKING: Watch as People evacuate from a American Airlines jet after a left main wheels caught fire  ????#Denver | #Colorado  Watch as passengers and crew evacuate American Airlines Flight 3023, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, at Denver International Airport. The Miami-bound jet was forced… pic.twitter.com/RmUrXYj5Jp

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 26, 2025

 

 

According to the report, the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane had 173 passengers and six crew members on board.

 

‘A loud boom, smoke and fire'

 

A passenger, Mark Tsurkis, described the moments of panic. “I heard a loud boom and said, ‘That’s not good.’ Then the plane started to slow down and we could see one of the wheels pass by,” he told ABC News.

 

“When the plane stopped about 30 seconds to a minute later, somebody said, ‘Smoke, fire.’ And then a lot of people, of course, started panicking,” he added.

 

Six people were medically evaluated at the scene. One passenger with minor injuries was taken to the hospital, the report said.

 

Pilot alerted to flames from air traffic control

 

In air traffic control audio from LiveATC.net, the pilot can be heard saying, “We’re aborting on the runway.” The controller responded, “You got a lot of smoke.” 

 

“There was some flames, it looks like the smoke’s kind of dying down a bit,” they were heard saying in the audio.

 

Investigation and next steps

 

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident is under investigation. “American Airlines Flight 3023 reported a possible landing gear incident during departure from Denver International Airport around 2:45 p.m. local time Saturday, July 26,” the agency said. 

 

American Airlines confirmed a mechanical issue with one of the tyres during takeoff. The aircraft has been removed from service and will be inspected by maintenance crews.

 

“All customers and crew deplaned safely,” the airline said in a statement. “We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologise to our customers for their experience.”

 

Boeing fleet under radar

 

On June 12, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one passenger on board. The incident reignited global safety concerns around Boeing aircraft and prompted an investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

 

However, in its prelimnary report, the AAIB indicated that the fuel control switches on the flight had transitioned from 'run' to 'cutoff' seconds after take-off. 

 

On July 22, Air India announced that it has completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft in its fleet. The airline said it found no issues with the locking mechanism.