Chaos In The Skies: Plane With Over 170 Passengers On Board Catches Fire During Takeoff 

By Our Reporter

Panic erupted at Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon when American Airlines Flight 3023, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 bound for Miami, was forced to abort takeoff after its left main landing gear tires caught fire.

The aircraft, carrying 173 passengers and six crew members, came to a sudden halt on the runway as thick smoke and flames billowed from beneath the plane. Fortunately, all passengers and crew were safely evacuated via emergency slides.

The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. local time, with emergency crews from the Denver Fire Department responding within minutes to extinguish the blaze. One person was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation, while five others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.

According to American Airlines, the aircraft experienced a “maintenance issue” involving the left landing gear, prompting the emergency response.

“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and the aircraft was removed from service for inspection by our maintenance team,” the airline said in a statement. “We appreciate our team’s professionalism and sincerely apologize to our customers for the experience.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the incident, attributing it to a landing gear failure during the takeoff roll. A full investigation into the cause is underway.

Dramatic video footage from eyewitnesses showed flames licking the side of the aircraft as passengers slid down inflatable chutes amid the chaos.

“Flight 3023, you got a lot of smoke,” an air traffic controller was heard warning in cockpit audio.

Following the evacuation, passengers were rebooked on alternate flights to Miami.

The incident sparked widespread reaction online—ranging from applause for the flight crew to anger over passengers defying evacuation protocol by retrieving their luggage:

• @Philip386287161: “It seems the ‘leave all luggage behind’ order was ignored by many passengers.”
• @Victory202424: “People need to stop evacuating with their bags! This can cause someone else to lose their life! Stuff can be replaced!”
• @George94041853: “Absolutely stunning how they decided that their luggage was more important than other people smh. Put everyone who took their luggage off the plane on the no-fly list!”
• @chii75527662: “So glad everyone’s okay—but shoutout to the flight crew for staying calm and totally handling it like the queens and kings they are. I’ll take my turbulence in the sky, not on the tarmac, thanks!”
• @mahsenny: “This country can’t even help itself but still manages to send billions of aid to Israel and Ukraine.”

In unrelated but tragic aviation news, at least 49 people were killed when a Siberia-based Angara Airlines Antonov An-24 crashed near Tynda, a remote town in Russia’s Amur region near the Chinese border.

The aircraft disappeared from radar while approaching the airport and later was confirmed to have gone down 15 kilometers from Tynda Airport, on a forested mountainside.

Footage from the scene revealed thick smoke rising from the crash site, deep within dense woodland, as emergency responders combed the area for survivors. Russian authorities have launched a formal investigation into the crash.