Panic erupted at Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon when an American Airlines flight aborted takeoff after a loud boom and burst of smoke shocked passengers.
Flight 3023, bound for Miami, rolled down the runway around 2:45 p.m. when things went wrong.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 suffered a suspected landing gear failure just moments before liftoff.
Passengers said they heard a loud explosion from underneath the aircraft. Smoke and flames shot from the rear, prompting the pilots to slam the brakes and halt the plane before it could leave the ground.
Passenger Mark Tsurkis, who splits his time between Miami and Colorado Springs, described the moment.
“During the speed-up, we heard a loud boom. I said, ‘That’s not good,’” Tsurkis told CBS News Miami.
He added, “We were lucky we weren’t airborne yet. I think it happened five to ten seconds before takeoff.”
The Denver Fire Department responded immediately. Fire crews extinguished a small fire near the aircraft’s tires. Meanwhile, the flight crew deployed emergency slides and rushed all 173 passengers and six crew members off the plane. Buses transported the evacuees back to the terminal.
Emergency medics treated five people on the scene. One person went to the hospital with minor injuries, according to airport officials and the airline.
Video footage shared by Tsurkis on Instagram shows passengers sliding off the plane as flames flickered in the background. The video has since gone viral, sparking renewed concerns about the Boeing 737 MAX 8 model.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the aircraft’s crew reported “a possible landing gear incident during departure.”
The agency has launched a full investigation.
American Airlines issued a brief statement.
The airline said the aircraft had a “maintenance issue involving a tire” and has removed it from service for full inspection.
By Saturday evening, the Denver Fire Department confirmed the fire was fully extinguished and all passengers were safe.