An American Airlines plane with 182 people on board was forced to abort its takeoff after catching fire at Denver International Airport. The incident involved a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which was preparing for a flight to Miami.
Emergency Evacuation and Minor Injuries
According to reports, a technical problem with a tire forced the pilots to halt the takeoff. Shortly after, smoke and flames were seen coming from the plane’s body. All 176 passengers and six crew members were safely evacuated via emergency slides on the runway.
An audio recording from Air Traffic Control captured the captain being informed of the fire, with a controller telling them, “You have a lot of smoke.” One passenger, Mark Tsurkis, 50, described hearing a “loud bang” before the plane suddenly slowed down.
One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. American Airlines arranged a replacement flight for the passengers, which departed later that day.
