Fiery scenes unfolded on the tarmac at Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon as an American Airlines passenger plane caught on fire.
“Flight 3023, you got a lot of smoke,” air traffic control told the pilot, according to local NBC affiliate 9News. “You are actually on fire,” they added moments later.
All 173 passengers and six crew members onboard the plane managed to evacuate safely. One passenger was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, a spokesperson for American Airlines said that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft experienced a mechanical incident involving the plane’s tires as it attempted to take off at around 2:45 p.m. local time. The plane was bound for Miami International Airport when the malfunction occurred.
In dramatic footage posted to Instagram, passengers can be seen departing the plane through the emergency slide at the front of the plane while flames engulf the landing gear at the rear.
“All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,” the American Airlines spokesperson said.
“We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for their experience.”
The Denver Fire Department said that it had extinguished the small fire on the runway in a social media post at 5:10 p.m. local time.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it will investigate the cause.
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