An American Airlines flight at the Denver International Airport had to evacuate it’s passengers on Saturday afternoon following an incident involving the aircraft’s landing gear during takeoff.
The Denver Fire Department disclosed that the emergency evacuation occurred on American Airlines Flight 3023, which was scheduled to depart from Denver to Miami International Airport.
The unfortunate incident reportedly took place while the plane was still on the runway.
According to CBS News, all 173 passengers and six crew members on board were safely evacuated. However, American airline disclosed that one individual had to be transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the crew of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 “reported a possible landing gear incident during departure” around 2:45 p.m. local time.
Video footage shows smoke and flames coming from the rear of the aircraft as passengers exited via an emergency slide. Evacuated passengers were transported to the terminal by bus. The FAA confirmed that it is actively investigating the incident.
“During the speed-up, when the plane almost took off, we heard a loud boom, and I said, ‘That’s not good,’” a passenger said.
He continued, “It was definitely an unpleasant moment, but we were lucky that we didn’t get up in the air yet, so we weren’t airborne just yet, but I would imagine that it happened five to 10 seconds before we were airborne.”
The airport confirmed that five people were evaluated at the scene but did not require further treatment. However, one person was taken to the hospital for medical attention, a detail also confirmed by both the airline and airport authorities.
American Airlines said in a statement that the aircraft “experienced a maintenance issue prior to takeoff” involving one of its tires and has since been removed from service for inspection.
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