Horror moment American Airlines plane bursts into flames as passengers flee
Passengers abandoned the American Airlines plane via an inflatable emergency slide amid chaotic scenes at Denver International Airport, with some needing hospital treatment
This is the horrifying moment an American Airlines plane burst into flames as passengers fled the aircraft.
At least one person is understood to have been injured when a plane was forced to abort its take-off from Denver Airport, in Colorado, due to landing gear failure. Passengers fled the smoking aircraft with an inflatable emergency slide being deployed in the chaotic scenes on Saturday.
Video showed passengers frantically sliding down as thick black smoke billowed from the back left side of the plane. The Denver Fire Department said in a social media post at 5:10pm local time that it had extinguished the fire.
American Airlines Flight 3023 reported a landing gear incident as it took off for Miami at about 2:45pm, the Federal Aviation Administration said. According to 9News, an air traffic controller could be heard telling the pilot in cockpit audio: "Flight 3023, you got a lot of smoke.
The airline added all 173 passengers and six crew members were safely evacuated from the plane. Six people were checked for minor injuries with one being transported to a local hospital after getting off the plane.
"All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team," an American Airlines spokesperson said. "We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for their experience."
Denver International Airport said: "This afternoon, DEN First Responders and the Denver Fire Department responded to a reported issue with an American Airlines flight (AA3023, DEN-MIA) on a runway. Those on board are now off the aircraft."
In another post, it added: "Update: Five people were evaluated on scene and not transported. One person was evaluated at a gate and was transported."
It comes after an easyJet flight leaving Gatwick Airport was forced to divert back to the airport after take off yesterday.
Shortly before 4.30pm an easyJet flight bound for Bastia, on the French island of Corsica was forced to return to Gatwick, a spokesperson for the airport confirmed.
An easyJet spokesperson said: "easyJet can confirm that flight EZY8461 from Gatwick to Bastia today (26 July) returned to Gatwick and requested a priority landing on arrival into London Gatwick due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed normally and was met by emergency services purely as a precautionary measure in line with procedures, and all passengers disembarked normally.
"A replacement aircraft and crew has been arranged for passengers to continue their journey to Bastia today. The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”