In a frantic scene, passengers evacuated an American Airlines flight getting ready to depart Denver International Airport.

American Airlines Flight 3023, from Denver to Miami, had a “possible landing gear incident” as it prepared for takeoff.

The aircraft started flaming and smoking, causing passengers to flee.

“The Denver Fire Department said the problem occurred on board American Airlines Flight 3023 from Denver to Miami International Airport while the plane was still on the runway. The airline reported that all 173 passengers and six crew members on board were safely evacuated off the aircraft. One person was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, the airline said,” Breaking Aviation News & Videos wrote.

“The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the crew of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 ‘reported a possible landing gear incident during departure’ at around 2:45 p.m. local time. The passengers were transported to the terminal by bus. The FAA said it is actively investigating the incident,” it added.

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Watch the chaotic scene:

Passengers on board an American Airlines flight at Denver International Airport Saturday afternoon were evacuated due to an incident with the plane's landing gear during takeoff, officials confirmed.

The Denver Fire Department said the problem occurred on board American… pic.twitter.com/izQoky3KpV

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 27, 2025

More from the New York Post:

The Denver Fire Department announced it had extinguished the blaze in a social media post at 5:10 p.m. local time.

The airline said there was an issue specifically involving the Boeing 737 MAX 8’s tire, Denver 7 reported.

All 173 passengers and six crew members evacuated the plane “safely,” American Airlines said in its statement.

Six people were evaluated for minor injuries, with one transported to a local hospital after deplaning, according to Denver 7.

@Denver_Fire extinguished a fire after responding to the aircraft. @DENAirport

— Denver Fire Department (@Denver_Fire) July 26, 2025

“All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team. We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for their experience,” the airline said in a statement.

CNN provided additional details:

Shay Armistead, a 17-year-old passenger from Minturn, Colorado, who was headed to Santiago, Chile, for a ski trip with her club team, said Saturday’s ordeal was “kind of traumatizing.”

As the plane moved down the runway, passengers heard a loud bang and believed the tire popped, Armistead said.

“The plane started vibrating and shaking really bad,” she told CNN. “We started tilting to the left side of the runway, and then we heard the sound of the wind from them lifting up the brakes of the plane and slamming on them really hard.”

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Just a few seats down, Armistead’s teammate, 16-year-old Margaret Gustafson, had a clear view out of the window and saw the maintenance issue, she said.

Gustafson said she knew something was wrong when she saw flames coming out from under the plane.

“That’s when I started fully panicking,” she said.

When she heard a big boom, Gustafson was unsure where the noise came from.

“Some of us just thought we hit something and then we started really swerving on the runway,” Gustafson said. “I personally grabbed my friend’s hand who was in front of me because we didn’t really know what was going on.”

The scary moment was met by immense panic among passengers.