Additional Coverage:
Denver-bound American Airlines Flight 3023 made a dramatic aborted takeoff Saturday afternoon at Denver International Airport after experiencing a mechanical issue. Passengers reported hearing a loud bang and feeling strong vibrations before the Boeing 737 MAX 8 came to a halt. One passenger even witnessed a piece of the plane’s landing gear rolling away.
As smoke began to billow from the aircraft, passengers were quickly evacuated using emergency slides. While most passengers heeded instructions, some drew criticism online for retrieving carry-on luggage before exiting the burning plane.
This prompted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to reiterate the importance of following crew instructions during evacuations, emphasizing the need to leave luggage behind. This issue has become so prevalent that the FAA recently published a study confirming that retrieving baggage significantly slows down evacuations.
Of the 173 passengers and six crew members onboard, one passenger was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, while five others were evaluated at the scene. American Airlines stated the incident was caused by a maintenance issue involving an aircraft tire.
The airline confirmed the plane has been taken out of service for inspection and apologized to the passengers for the disruption. The FAA is currently investigating the incident.
The passengers were placed on a later flight to Miami.