American Airlines jet with 182 people on board goes up in flames forcing evacuation

An American Airlines plane with 182 people on board was forced to abort takeoff due to a fire.

All 176 passengers and six cabin crew members evacuated the airplane via the emergency slide on the runway at Denver Airport, Colorado as smoke billowed from the fuselage.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8, bound for Miami, was preparing to take to the sky when a technical issue with a tyre required pilots to abandon the takeoff.

Footage shows flames engulfing the rear end of the aircraft as passengers slid down the slide, running away in the opposite direction.

One person on the flight was taken to hospital where they were treated for minor injuries, ABC News reported.

Audio from Air Traffic Control shows the captain being informed of smoke and flames coming from the plane after aborting the takeoff.

They were told by a controller: ‘You’ve got a lot of smoke’.

One passenger, Mark Tsurkis, 50, said he heard a ‘loud boom’ before the aircraft suddenly slowed down.

‘When the plane stopped about 30 seconds to a minute later, somebody said, ‘Smoke, fire.’ And then a lot of people, of course, started panicking’, he added.

A statement from the FAA said: ‘American Airlines Flight 3023 reported a possible landing gear incident during departure from Denver International Airport around 2.45 ppm local time Saturday, July 26.

‘Passengers evacuated on the runway and are being transported to the terminal by bus.

‘The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was headed to Miami International Airport. The FAA will investigate. Contact the airline for additional information.’

American Airlines said it had arranged a replacement flight to Miami for the passengers, which departed later on Saturday.

A spokesperson for the airline said: ‘American Airlines flight 3023 experienced a maintenance issue prior to takeoff at Denver International Airport.

‘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 apologise to our customers for their experience.’

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