'A big bang and a pop': Passengers use emergency slide to flee smoking plane at Denver airport
Passengers slid down an emergency slide of a smoking jet at Denver International Airport due to a possible problem with the plane's landing gear, authorities said.
Article content
American Airlines Flight 3023 reported a 'possible landing gear incident' during its departure from Denver on Saturday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The problem involved an aircraft tire, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company said in a statement.
Article content
Article content
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 173 passengers and six crew members was on its way to Miami International Airport, American said.
Article content
Video aired by local media showed people sliding down the inflatable chute near the front of the plane while clutching luggage and small children. Some passengers, including at least one adult carrying a young child, tripped at the end of the slide and fell onto the concrete runway. Passengers were then taken to the terminal by bus.
Article content
Article content
Shocking footage has surfaced showing passengers urgently evacuating an aircraft at Denver International Airport, USA. pic.twitter.com/XoEt4gNQzD
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) July 27, 2025
Article content
One of the passengers was taken to a hospital with a minor injury, American Airlines said in its statement. Five people were evaluated for injuries at the scene but did not require hospitalization, Denver International Airport officials said.
Article content
Article content
'About halfway to takeoff speed, we hear a big bang and a pop,' passenger Shaun Williams told KUSA-TV. 'The pilot immediately started abort procedures for taking off. You could feel him start to hit the brakes.'
Article content
Firefighters extinguished a fire on the aircraft, the Denver Fire Department said.
Article content
'All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,' American said.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Forward
an hour ago
- Japan Forward
James E Auer Honored in Memorial Service at Sea as 'A Bridge Between Nations'
On July 12, a memorial service was held for James E Auer, a United States Navy officer and scholar who dedicated his life to strengthening the Japan-US alliance. He passed away on May 16, 2024, at the age of 82 in Nashville, Tennessee. Auer made continuous contributions to US-Japan security policy, leveraging the extensive network and knowledge he gained during his time in the US Navy. He was also a prominent member of The Sankei Shimbun 's Seiron column and won the Seiron Prize in 2015, becoming the first foreigner to receive it. On the deck of the JS Bungo, JMSDF buglers play taps following the commitment of his ashes to the Sea of Japan. (©JMSDF) The ceremony was held off the coast of Maizuru City in Kyoto Prefecture, marking the first-ever joint burial at sea of an American by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the US Navy. Auer had requested in his will that his ashes be scattered at sea by a JMSDF minesweeper in the Sea of Japan. About 60 family members and others influenced by his work attended the service. The ceremony took place on the deck of the JMSDF minesweeper tender, JS Bungo . Surrounded by his eldest son and family, Auer's urn was quietly cast into the Sea of Japan, under the Stars and Stripes held by JMSDF personnel. With his extensive experience in the US Navy and research on the JMSDF, Auer made significant contributions to minesweeping operations. This made the setting especially fitting for honoring his legacy. At the ceremony, Admiral Akira Saito, Chief of Staff of the JMSDF, praised Auer's former students. He noted that they now play a central role in Japan's maritime defense strategy. Rear Admiral Ian Johnson, Commander of the US Navy in Japan, also expressed his sorrow at Auer's passing. Auer was a trusted bridge between the US Navy and the JMSDF, he proclaimed. Akihisa Nagashima, one of Auer's former students, also spoke. He is now Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on national security. Nagashima praised Auer for "directly addressing critical issues, such as the legal framework for collective defense and the role of US forces stationed in Japan." He also highlighted Auer's significant contributions to the security environment in the Asia-Pacific region. Member of the Diet and Advisor to the Prime Minister, Akihisa Nagashima pays respect to his mentor, Jim Auer. From the deck of the JS Bungo. (©JMSDF) (Read the article in Japanese.) Author: Hideki Yoshimura, The Sankei Shimbun
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Gangs and merchants sell food aid in Gaza, where Israel's offensive has shattered security
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Since Israel's offensive led to a security breakdown in Gaza that has made it nearly impossible to safely deliver food to starving Palestinians, much of the limited aid entering is being hoarded by gangs and merchants and sold at exorbitant prices. A kilogram (2.2 pounds) of flour has run as high as $60 in recent days, a kilogram of lentils up to $35. That is beyond the means of most residents in the territory, which experts say is at risk of famine and where people are largely reliant on savings 21 months into the Israel-Hamas war. Israel's decision this weekend to facilitate more aid deliveries — under international pressure — has lowered prices somewhat but has yet to be fully felt on the ground. Bags of flour in markets often bear U.N. logos, while other packaging has markings indicating it came from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — all originally handed out for free. It's impossible to know how much is being diverted, but neither group is able to track who receives its aid. In the melees surrounding aid distributions in recent weeks, residents say the strong were best positioned to come away with food. Mohammed Abu Taha, who lives in a tent with his wife and child near the city of Rafah, said organized gangs of young men are always at the front of crowds when he visits GHF sites. 'It's a huge business,' he said. Every avenue for aid is beset by chaos The U.N. says up to 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, aid groups and media outlets say their own staffers are going hungry, and Gaza's Health Ministry says dozens of Palestinians have died from hunger-related causes in the last three weeks. When the U.N. gets Israeli permission to distribute aid, its convoys are nearly always attacked by armed gangs or overwhelmed by hungry crowds in the buffer zone controlled by the military. The U.N.'s World Food Program said last week it will only be able to safely deliver aid to the most vulnerable once internal security is restored — likely only under a ceasefire. 'In the meantime, given the urgent need for families to access food, WFP will accept hungry populations taking food from its trucks, as long as there is no violence,' spokesperson Abeer Etifa said. In the alternative delivery system operated by GHF, an American contractor, Palestinians often run a deadly gantlet. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops while seeking food since May, mainly near the GHF sites, according to the U.N. human rights office, witnesses and local health officials. The military says it has only fired warning shots when people approach its forces, while GHF says its security contractors have only used pepper spray or fired in the air on some occasions to prevent stampedes. 'You have to be strong and fast' A man in his 30s, who insisted on anonymity for fear of reprisal, said he had visited GHF sites about 40 times since they opened and nearly always came back with food. He sold most of it to merchants or other people in order to buy other necessities for his family. Heba Jouda, who has visited the sites many times, said armed men steal aid as people return with it and merchants also offer to buy it. 'To get food from the American organization, you have to be strong and fast,' she said. Footage shot by Palestinians at GHF sites and shared broadly shows chaotic scenes, with crowds of men racing down fenced-in corridors and scrambling to grab boxes off the ground. GHF says it has installed separate lanes for women and children and is ramping up programs to deliver aid directly to communities. The U.N.'s deliveries also often devolve into deadly violence and chaos, with crowds of thousands rapidly overwhelming trucks in close proximity to Israeli troops. The U.N. does not accept protection from Israel, saying it prefers to rely on community support. The Israeli military did not respond to emails seeking comment about the reselling of aid. Israel denies allowing looters to operate in areas it controls and accuses Hamas of prolonging the war by not surrendering. 'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. The situation changed dramatically in March For much of the war, U.N. agencies were able to safely deliver aid, despite Israeli restrictions and occasional attacks and theft. Hamas-led police guarded convoys and went after suspected looters and merchants who resold aid. During a ceasefire earlier this year, Israel allowed up to 600 aid trucks to enter daily. There were no major disruptions in deliveries, and food prices were far lower. The U.N. said it had mechanisms in place to prevent any organized diversion of aid. But Israel says Hamas was siphoning it off, though it has provided no evidence of widespread theft. That all changed in March, when Israel ended the ceasefire and halted all imports, including food. Israel seized large parts of Gaza in what it said was a tactic to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. As the Hamas-run police vanished from areas under Israeli control, local tribes and gangs — some of which Israel says it supports — took over, residents say. Israel began allowing a trickle of aid to enter in May. GHF was set up that month with the stated goal of preventing Hamas from diverting aid. Since then, Israel has allowed an average of about 70 trucks a day, compared to the 500-600 the U.N. says are needed. The military said Saturday it would allow more trucks in — 180 entered Sunday — and international airdrops have resumed, which aid organizations say are largely ineffective. Meanwhile, food distribution continues to be plagued by chaos and violence, as seen near GHF sites or around U.N. trucks. Even if Israel pauses its military operations during the day, it's unclear how much the security situation will improve. With both the U.N. and GHF, it's possible Hamas members are among the crowds. In response to questions from The Associated Press, GHF acknowledged that but said its system prevents the organized diversion of aid. 'The real concern we are addressing is not whether individual actors manage to receive food, but whether Hamas is able to systematically control aid flows. At GHF sites, they cannot,' it said. Hamas has denied stealing aid. It's unclear if it's involved in the trade in aid, but its fighters would be taking a major risk by operating in a coordinated way in Israeli military zones that U.N. trucks pass through and where GHF sites are located. The UN says the only solution is a ceasefire U.N. officials have called on Israel to fully lift the blockade and flood Gaza with food. That would reduce the incentive for looting by ensuring enough for everyone and driving down prices. Another ceasefire would include a major increase in aid and the release of Israeli hostages, but talks have stalled. Hamas started the war when its fighters stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 hostages. Fifty captives are still being held in Gaza. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and is run by medical professionals. Israel has disputed its figures without providing its own. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo and Krauss from Ottawa, Ontario. Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
Global News
17 hours ago
- Global News
Passengers flee smoking plane on emergency slides after aborted takeoff in Denver
Passengers on board an American Airlines flight that was scheduled to depart from Denver International Airport were forced to evacuate on Saturday after the aircraft's landing gear failed during takeoff, officials confirmed. Footage of the incident shows the faulty aircraft surrounded by a cloud of smoke caused by a fire in the landing gear and passengers using the emergency exits to disembark. Passenger video shows people using the evacuation slide to escape the smoke. Multiple people can be seen falling to the ground, some holding small children and luggage, after leaving the plane. Others were filmed running across the tarmac as emergency sirens wailed and staff alerted passengers to make way for approaching fire trucks. The Denver fire department said the issue occurred while American Airlines Flight 3023, bound for Miami, was on the runway. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Passengers on an American Airlines flight bound for Miami from Denver evacuated on the tarmac after the landing gear failed during takeoff on July 26, 2025, at Denver International Airport. Global News The airline later reported that all 173 passengers and six crew members on board were safely evacuated from the plane. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'American Airlines flight 3023 experienced a maintenance issue prior to takeoff at Denver International Airport (DEN). All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,' American Airlines told the news outlet. The airline said one person was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 'reported a possible landing gear incident during departure' at around 2:45 p.m. local time and that passengers were transported back to the terminal by bus. Story continues below advertisement Mark Tsurkis, a passenger aboard the plane who shared the footage, told CBS Miami that a loud noise right before takeoff alerted him to an issue. 'During the speed-up, when the plane almost took off, we heard a loud boom, and I said, 'That's not good.' It was definitely an unpleasant moment, but we were lucky that we didn't get up in the air yet, so we weren't airborne just yet, but I would imagine that it happened five to 10 seconds before we were airborne.' Tsurkis said the pilots began to slow the plane down before it stopped after about a minute. Shortly after, passengers noticed smoke rising through the aircraft, prompting evacuation procedures. He said he believed one of the plane's wheels exploded, damaging the aircraft's suspension, 'because when the plane was slowing down, we saw another wheel pass the airplane on the left side.' 'Some people started panicking, but you know, you got to start keeping calm in situations like this — panic never helps,' he told the outlet. 'Few people got a few bruises and scrapes from landing, but other than that, everything's OK,' he said. 'I'm feeling great.' The airline later confirmed to CBS that there was a maintenance issue with a tire and that the aircraft was no longer in service and under inspection by American Airlines maintenance teams.
