Latest news with #Tsurkis
Global News
28-07-2025
- General
- 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.
NBC News
28-07-2025
- General
- NBC News
Passengers flee smoking American Airlines jet in Denver after aborted takeoff
Passengers evacuated an American Airlines jet at Denver International Airport on emergency slides after the landing gear caught fire during an aborted takeoff, sending black smoke billowing into the air. One of the 173 passengers was hospitalized with minor injuries while exiting the Boeing 737 MAX 8 that had been due to fly to Miami International Airport on Saturday, according to officials. A video shared with NBC News by a passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, showed the aircraft gathering speed on the runway — before a loud bang was heard followed by strong vibrations and the plane stopping. Meanwhile a round piece of debris was seen rolling from underneath the plane and off the side of the runway. "I heard a loud boom so I knew something blew up under the plane," passenger Mark Tsurkis told NBC News. "I said, 'That's not good,' and right away the captain started slowing the plane down. Then somebody said, 'Look!' So we looked on the left side, in the window, and we see one of the wheels of the plane" rolling away. Once the aircraft came to a halt, Tsurkis said, he started to smell burning. "Somebody screamed, 'Fire!,'" he said. "So they opened up the emergency doors and we slid down on those inflatable slides." Five people were checked by medics at the scene and one was taken to the hospital, the airline said. Other passengers received criticism online after videos showed them carrying cabin bags while leaving the burning aircraft. 'Remember, during emergency evacuations, it's important for passengers to follow crew instructions,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X. 'Leave your luggage behind!' This has become such an endemic problem — passengers stopping to get their bags during emergencies — that the Federal Aviation Administration carried out a study published in December. Though there were several recommendations, the conclusion was clear: "Passenger retrieval of baggage slows down an evacuation." American Airlines said its flight 3023 experienced 'a maintenance issue' involving 'an aircraft tire' before takeoff at around 2:45 p.m. It said the passengers and six crew members had all left the plane 'safely' and that the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by the airline's engineers. 'We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for their experience,' it said, adding that passengers were due to take another flight to Miami later the same day. The FAA said it would investigate.
7NEWS
27-07-2025
- General
- 7NEWS
Passenger onboard plane evacuated on runway of Denver International Airport speaks out about incident
A passenger onboard an American Airlines flight that was evacuated on the runway of Denver International Airport has detailed the terrifying ordeal. Mark Tsurkis was onboard the Miami-bound Boeing 737 MAX 8 alongside 172 other passengers on Saturday when travellers and crew were forced to flee the plane moments before take-off. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Passengers heard a loud bang and saw flames before being evacuated on a slide attached to the plane. Tsurkis filmed the entire incident, showing passengers coming down the slide in a panic clinging onto luggage and children. Smoke was seen billowing from the back of the aircraft. Tsurkis said the plane had been speeding up for about 30 seconds in preparation for take-off when there was a 'loud boom' from under the aircraft. 'We knew something was wrong because there was a pretty big bang and then and soon as it happened the captain of the plane, the pilot, starts … slowing the plane down and then when he was slowing the plane down, when the plane was still moving, one of the passengers screamed 'look the tyre',' he told Sunrise. 'We knew we weren't flying anywhere, we knew something serious happened and then we started smelling the smoke a little bit. Somebody screamed fire.' It appeared as though one of the tyres had blown up, Tsurkis said, and passengers were quickly told to evacuate. Being in the front row, Tsurkis was one of the first people to get off the plane. Passengers were told to leave their luggage behind as is common protocol during a plane evacuation, however multiple passengers were seen in Tsurkis' video carrying small suitcases down the slide. Tsurkis said he couldn't believe so many people had disobeyed the instructions. 'First thing they (the crew) told all the passengers, they said 'leave your luggage … do not touch it just go, just vacate the plane' and despite the clear message from the crew, some of the passengers decided that material things were more important to them than human life,' he said. 'When I got out of the plane I grabbed my phone I started recording and then you start seeing people coming out with the luggage, with bags … it was crazy.' The combination of blown tires and the deceleration of the plane during braking resulted in a brake fire that was extinguished by the Denver Fire Department, according to American Airlines. '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 said. Five people were evaluated at the scene, and another person was evaluated at a gate and taken to the hospital with a minor injury, according to the airport and airline. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. The evacuation is the latest in a string of alarming aviation incidents at Denver International Airport – the sixth-busiest airport in the world. In March, dozens of passengers were forced to stand on the wing of an American Airlines plane as they evacuated the aircraft after one of its engines caught fire. A month later, a United Airlines plane hit an animal on take-off and shot out fire. — With CNN
