Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight at Denver International Airport were evacuated Saturday afternoon following an incident involving the aircraft's landing gear during takeoff, officials confirmed.
According to the Denver Fire Department, the issue occurred on American Airlines Flight 3023, which was scheduled to depart from Denver to Miami International Airport. The incident took place while the plane was still on the runway.
CBS News reported that all 173 passengers and six crew members on board were safely evacuated. The airline confirmed that one individual was 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 posted to Instagram by passenger Mark Tsurkis captured the evacuation, showing 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.
Tsurkis, who lives in both Miami and Colorado Springs, told CBS News Miami the frightening moment happened just before takeoff.
"During the speed-up, when the plane almost took off, we heard a loud boom, and I said, 'That's not good,'" Tsurkis 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."
According to Tsurkis, the pilots quickly decelerated and brought the aircraft to a stop. Within a minute, passengers noticed smoke rising from the plane, prompting the evacuation.
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. Later Saturday evening, the Denver Fire Department reported it had extinguished a fire after responding to the scene.
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