Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight were evacuated on the runway at Denver International Airport after a fire broke out in the aircraft’s landing gear during takeoff preparations, according to flight tracking reports.
Flight AA3023, bound for Miami, Florida, was preparing for departure on Sunday when smoke was detected coming from the left main landing gear of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Emergency procedures were immediately initiated, and passengers were evacuated via inflatable slides.
A video shared by aviation tracker FL360aero on X (formerly Twitter) showed thick smoke rising from beneath the aircraft as passengers exited the plane and were guided away by emergency personnel. Airport fire crews responded swiftly to contain the situation.
American Airlines confirmed that all passengers were safely evacuated, though one person suffered a minor injury during the evacuation process. The airline said it was working with airport authorities and maintenance teams to investigate the cause of the fire.
The incident is the latest in a string of recent aviation scares that have raised concerns about flight safety.
Just two days earlier, on Friday, a Southwest Airlines flight departing Burbank, California, was forced into a steep descent after pilots took evasive action to avoid a potential collision. Two flight attendants were injured during the maneuver, which saw the aircraft drop nearly 500 feet shortly after takeoff.
In a separate incident on July 23, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 737-800 made an emergency landing at Hamburg Airport. The flight, en route from Stockholm Arlanda to Amsterdam Schiphol, diverted mid-flight after the crew reported smoke coming from one of the engines. The plane landed safely in Hamburg, and no injuries were reported.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the global accident rate in 2023 was 1.87 per million departures. Despite recent incidents, aviation safety data indicates that serious accidents remain rare. Airbus reports that of the nine hull loss accidents recorded in 2024 so far, none resulted in fatalities and only two occurred during takeoff.
Sunday’s fire on American Airlines Flight AA3023 is under investigation, with attention focused on the aircraft’s main landing gear. The airline said it is cooperating fully with authorities to determine the root cause of the incident.
