The jet suddenly burst into flames when it landed at Denver International Airport
Shocking video footage shows the moment a jet burst into flames and forced evacuated passengers to stand on the aircraft’s wing.
On Thursday (March 13), chaos unfolded at Denver International Airport when an American Airlines flight bound for Texas erupted into flames shortly after landing. Nearly 200 passengers were forced to evacuate the burning plane, scrambling onto the wings to escape the intense heat and thick black smoke that quickly consumed the aircraft. The dramatic scene saw dozens of people desperately clinging to the wing, as smoke billowed from the jet.
As the flames erupted, some passengers were evacuated via the emergency slides, while brave firefighters worked quickly to douse the Boeing 737-800 with water.
The plane had taken off from Colorado Springs at 4:52 PM local time, heading toward Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. However, shortly after 5:15 PM, the flight was diverted to Denver when the crew raised concerns about “engine vibrations,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA confirmed: “After landing and while taxiing to the gate, an engine caught fire, and passengers evacuated the aircraft using the slides.”
Flight 1006, operated by American Airlines, was carrying 172 passengers and six crew members when the engine ignited as the aircraft was taxiing down the tarmac.
The pilot initially informed air traffic controllers that the Boeing was facing engine issues but reassured them it wasn’t an emergency, according to reports from The Independent. In an exchange captured on audio, the controller asked, “American 10,006, uh, 1006 just to verify not an emergency still, correct?” The pilot calmly replied, “Nah, we just have a high engine vibration so we are cruising slower than normal.”
However, just minutes after landing, mayday calls went out as emergency personnel reported the engine fire.
An airport spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the fire was swiftly extinguished, and all passengers were successfully evacuated. Passenger Gabrielle Hibbitts shared her harrowing experience with CBS News Colorado. “As soon as the plane landed, we smelled this weird burning plastic smell, and then everybody started screaming and saying there was a fire,” she recalled.
“There was smoke everywhere,” Gabrielle Hibbitts recalled, with her mother, Ingrid, describing the experience as “surreal” and fearing the worst—that the plane “was gonna blow up.” Ingrid continued, “I’m really grateful that this happened on the ground because if it happened in the air, I don’t think I’d be standing here telling you this story.”
The Denver Fire Department confirmed that 12 passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
American Airlines expressed gratitude to its crew members, the Denver team, and emergency first responders for their “quick and decisive action with the safety of everyone on board and on the ground as the priority,” according to a statement. The FAA has since launched an investigation into the incident, as reported by The NY Post.
This alarming incident adds to a series of troubling aviation events in the U.S. In January, a commercial American Airlines flight collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington D.C., tragically claiming 67 lives. Just days later, a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia, killing six passengers—including a child patient—and a person on the ground. In February, a commuter plane went down in Alaska, killing 10 people, while a Delta Airlines plane flipped on its back during landing in Toronto, injuring 18.
