A scary scene at Denver International Airport went viral after an American Airlines flight to Miami had to abort takeoff because of a fire and explosion in one of the tires. This led to an emergency evacuation.
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 named Flight 3023 was involved in the accident just before 3:00 PM local time. The plane was getting ready to take off when the left main landing gear tire blew out. It caught fire, sending thick black smoke up from the back of the plane.
Fire on the runway; people start to leave
Someone from air traffic control yelled, “Flight 3023, you have a lot of smoke; you are on fire!” to quickly warn the pilots. A short time later, the flight crew started an emergency evacuation.
Videos of the accident are going viral on social media sites like X (formerly Twitter), which show scared passengers sliding down safety chutes while smoke fills the air. On the ground, some passengers were seen helping each other. They looked shaken but safe.
Quickly, the Denver Fire Department came on the scene and put out the fire within minutes. American Airlines reported that all 173 passengers and 6 crew members were safely evacuated. One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, though. Five others were checked out, but they did not need to go to the hospital.
Flight Delays and Stops on the Ground
All incoming planes at Denver International Airport had to stop because of the fire. Flight tracking data shows that more than 200 flights were delayed while emergency workers arrived and cleaned up.
American Airlines said in a statement that the fire was caused by a problem with the landing gear that needed to be fixed. “Thanks to our crew and the first responders for acting so quickly.” The airline also said, “We\’re sorry for the trouble this causes our customers and are working on alternative travel plans.”
Second fire in a few months
This is the second time this year that an American Airlines plane has been involved in a fire at Denver. That same month, in March 2025, another plane had engine trouble and caught fire after landing, forcing people to leave as well.
Reactions on social media
People on social media were both worried and relieved. It read, “Can\’t believe I just slid off a plane on fire.” The crew saved us, so thank you.
Now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking into what happened and has stopped the plane for a full check.
As the video keeps going around, aviation experts are telling companies they need to do more safety checks before flights and be better prepared for emergencies in real time.
