3 days ago
Passengers Evacuate Smoky Plane on Emergency Chute at Denver Airport
Passengers slid down an emergency chute and dashed onto the runway amid the haze from an airplane's smoking brake system as they evacuated a flight on Saturday at Denver International Airport.
American Airlines Flight 3023 was departing for Miami around 2:45 p.m. local time but the plane, a Boeing 737 Max 8, had a mechanical issue involving an aircraft tire while accelerating ahead of takeoff, the airline said on Sunday.
Videos showed passengers sliding down an inflatable emergency chute near the front of the plane while holding onto children and luggage.
Some passengers — including a man and a child — were seen stumbling at the end of the chute, and falling onto the runway.
The 173 passengers and six crew members were taken to an airport terminal by bus, the airline said Sunday.
One of the passengers was taken to a hospital with a minor injury, the airline said.
Five people were evaluated for injuries at the scene, but did not require hospitalization, airport officials said.
The Denver Fire Department said it quickly extinguished the fire beneath the plane, which may have started from a combination of the blown tire and the abrupt braking of the airplane, which was headed for takeoff.
'The aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,' American Airlines said, adding that the passengers were flown to Miami on another plane later in the day.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating.
