Aircraft at Denver International Airport evacuated due to landing gear incident

On Saturday afternoon, officials in Denver confirmed that passengers on board an aircraft at Denver International Airport were evacuated due to an incident with the plane’s landing gear during takeoff.

The Denver Fire Department said the problem occurred on board American Airlines Flight AA3023 from Denver to Miami while the plane was still on the runway. Officials reported that all 173 passengers and six crew members on board the Boeing 737 MAX 8 are safely off the aircraft.

Video posted on Instagram by @highlymigratoryfishing shows passengers evacuating the aircraft using a slide as smoke billows from below the rear of the plane.

Five people were evaluated at the scene but were not transported for further treatment, the airport confirmed. However, one person evaluated at the gate was transported for medical attention for what is reported to be a minor injury.

According to FlightAware, the plane was scheduled to leave Gate C34 at 1:12 p.m. The FAA said a “possible landing gear incident” happened during takeoff from runway 34L around 2:45 p.m. The passengers are reportedly being transported to the terminal by bus, and the FAA is actively investigating the incident.

American Airlines later confirmed the aircraft experienced a maintenance issue with a tire and has been taken out of service to be inspected by their maintenance team. Later Saturday evening, the fire department stated that they had extinguished a fire after responding to the aircraft.

The displaced passengers will depart for Miami on a replacement aircraft later today, the airline said.

FlightAware shows 87 flights at Denver International Airport have been delayed since 2 p.m. The airport said a ground stop was in place from 2 p.m. until shortly after 3 p.m. for all incoming flights that had not left their departure airports yet. Operations at the airport have since returned to normal.

A separate incident involving an American Airlines aircraft happened at the airport in March when a plane suffered an “engine-related issue” and was diverted to Denver International Airport.