Chaos at Denver airport: Passengers evacuate American Airlines jet as smoke fills runway
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 with 173 passengers on board suffered a tire maintenance issue leading to smoke in the cabin, prompting an emergency evacuation on the runway
High drama prevailed on a runway at Denver Airport on Saturday (July 26).
Chaos and panic reigned as 173 passengers on an American Airlines flight had to be evacuated on the runway at Denver Airport due to a landing gear malfunction which led to fire and smoke in the aircraft.
AA-3023, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, was just about to take-off for Miami when the incident occurred. It suffered a maintenance issue with the tire, the airline later said. This led to an emergency evacuation and all 173 passengers were safely taken out, except for one person who suffered a minor injury.
Video footage showed passengers fleeing down inflatable slides one by one as "thick" smoke filled the aircraft cabin.
Landing gear incident
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft reported a possible landing gear incident while departing from the Denver airport around 2.45 pm (local time) and added that the passengers were immediately evacuated on the runway and transported to the terminal by bus.
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Chaos and fear
Airbus A321 was promptly surrounded by emergency response teams after the crew reported smoke in the cabin, believed to have been caused by overheated brakes. While no fire was confirmed, the smoke added to the chaos and fear among passengers.
"The plane had started to roll for takeoff, and then there was this sudden stop,” one passenger told CBS News Colorado. “Then the smoke came. People were shouting to get out, and the next thing we knew, the emergency doors were open and we were on the slides.”
Maintenance issue
The aircraft "experienced a maintenance issue" with a tire on the landing gear, said American Airlines in a statement, adding, "All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team."
Denver International Airport temporarily suspended operations on the affected runway, though broader airport operations were not significantly impacted. The fire incident will be further probed by the FAA.
Luggage over child
Meanwhile, one of the passengers evacuated from the plane is being slammed for prioritising his luggage over his child in such a situation.
In the video, he was seen sliding down the aircraft, holding his child in one hand, apparently by his neck, and luggage in the other. He appeared to fall over his child, failing to balance himself after stepping out of the slide.