Tyre fire forces evacuation of American Airlines flight at Denver airport

The Boeing 737 MAX 8, operating as Flight 3023 and bound for Miami, came to a halt on the runway after smoke and flames were spotted near its left rear landing gear.

All 173 passengers and six crew members were evacuated using emergency slides.

One person sustained a minor injury and was taken to hospital, according to Denver International Airport officials.

The incident led to temporary delays, with nearly 90 flights disrupted during the emergency response.

American Airlines attributed the incident to a "mechanical issue" involving a tyre during takeoff.

Videos shared on social media showed thick smoke and visible flames beneath the aircraft as passengers slid down to safety.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the incident. While the airline has not commented further on the cause, the episode has renewed scrutiny of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, the aircraft involved.

The MAX 8 had previously been grounded worldwide in 2019 after two catastrophic crashes involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines killed a total of 346 people.

Also read: After over a billion passengers flown, Air India crash ends Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s fatality-free run

A flawed flight control system, MCAS, was found to have caused the nose of the aircraft to pitch down repeatedly in both cases.

The global grounding lasted nearly two years, during which Boeing redesigned the system and overhauled pilot training.

The aircraft returned to service in late 2020, but isolated incidents continue to raise concerns over its long-term reliability.

Ahmedabad plane crash

On June 12, 2025, 241 people on board a Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed as a London-bound Air India flight crashed minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport.

Despite its previously clean record on fatalities, the 787 has had several serious incidents. In 2013, a fire broke out in an Ethiopian Airlines 787 at London Heathrow, traced to a short circuit.

That same year, the entire 787 fleet was briefly grounded due to battery overheating on two Japanese carriers. More recently, in March 2023, 50 people were injured aboard a LATAM 787 after an unexpected dive, linked to a pilot seat malfunction.