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

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was grounded after a fire broke out - (PA Archive)

An American Airlines flight was forced to abandon take-off when a fire broke out, forcing all 182 people on board to evacuate.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was preparing to fly from Denver Airport, Colorado to Miami when a technical issue forced the pilots to ground the flight.

All 176 passengers and six members of the cabin crew were forced to evacuate when smoke began billowing through the central compartment of the plane.

Footage shows a fire breaking out near the rear end of the plane, forcing passengers to evacuate via an emergency slide onto the runway.

Another scary Boeing 737 MAX 8 incident 😟

American Airlines Flight 3023 caught fire on the runway at Denver after a tire issue (July 26, 2025). 173 passengers + 6 crew evacuated safely, 1 hospitalized.

What’s going on with all these plane accidents lately? 🤔✈️ pic.twitter.com/j0jSvOm9Bz

— Krithi Sharma (@krithi_sharma) July 27, 2025

One person was reportedly taken to hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries, according to ABC News.

Audio footage shows the moment that the flight’s pilots were informed of the issue by air traffic control, who told them: “You’ve got a lot of smoke.”

According to one passenger aboard the flight, a “loud boom” was heard before the aircraft suddenly slowed down.

Mark Tsurkis, 50, said: “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 recalled.

The Federal Aviation Administration (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.

BREAKING: An American Airlines plane carrying 178 people appeared to catch fire on the tarmac after making an emergency landing at Denver International Airport Thursday evening, forcing passengers to evacuate by climbing out onto the wing of the plane. https://t.co/gWlirSyILE pic.twitter.com/AOSU1iB24H

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 14, 2025

“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.”

An American Airlines spokesperson said: “American Airlines flight 3023 experienced a maintenance issue prior to take-off 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.”

The airline says it arranged for a replacement flight for passengers later that Saturday.