DENVER — Passengers on a Miami-bound American Airlines flight rushed to evacuate after a possible blown tire sparked a small fire and forced an emergency stop during takeoff in Denver on Saturday.
“Somebody said smoke, fire! And then a lot of people started panicking and stuff,” said Mark Tsurkis, a passenger on the flight.
The Boeing 737 Max was accelerating down the runway when passengers reported hearing a loud noise.
“We heard a loud boom, and I said that’s not good,” Tsurkis said.
The flight, carrying 173 passengers, came to an abrupt stop before takeoff.
Video captured from inside the plane shows people evacuating down emergency slides while flames appeared near the landing gear.
“When the plane was almost stopped we seen one of the wheels from the plane actually pass on the left of us, on the left of the plane,” Tsurkis said. “So we knew something was wrong with our landing gear.”
American Airlines said the combination of blown tires and sudden braking caused the fire. It was quickly extinguished by emergency crews.
Authorities said one passenger was taken to a local hospital with injuries.
They said the aircraft has been taken out of service for inspection by the airline’s maintenance team.
“We’re just lucky everything ended up good and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Tsurkis said.
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