Passengers were forced to evacuate an American Airlines flight on slides when the plane erupted into flames after landing at Denver International Airport.
Video footage from the horrific incident on Thursday afternoon showed a blaze engulfing the plane while passengers emerged from the smoke and ran away. In one clip, passengers were also captured exiting the plane by walking on its wing. The FAA said passengers escaped using slides.
A statement from Denver International Airport confirmed 12 people were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries. The Denver International Airport did not immediately reply to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, the Federal Aviation Administration clarified that the flight took off from the Colorado Springs Airport and was headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport when it was forced to divert to Denver. The incident occurred around 5:15 p.m. local time.
The flight diverted around 20 minutes after it took off, according to ABC News. The plane was in the air for an hour before landing.
While taxiing to the gate, the aircraft—a Boeing 737-800—seemed to experience an engine-related issue. The FAA noted that “the crew reported engine vibrations.” A total of 172 passengers and six crew members were aboard the flight.
“After landing and while taxiing to the gate an engine caught fire and passengers evacuated the aircraft using the slides,” the FAA continued, noting that the information is preliminary and is subject to change based on its investigation.
American Airlines additionally confirmed in a statement to the Daily Beast that “Flight 1006 experienced an engine-related issue.”
The airline also clarified that all “172 customers and six crew members deplaned” and were relocated to the terminal.
“We thank our crew members, DEN team and first responders for their quick and decisive action with the safety of everyone on board and on the ground as the priority,” they continued.
Last month, American Airlines reported a bomb threat and another incident involving smoke. In January, a collision between one of the agency’s commercial flights and a military helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport resulted in the deaths of 67 people.
A former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Robert Sumwalt, told CBS News that the emergency response Thursday evening displayed “the importance of having well-trained pilots, well-trained flight attendants, well-trained airport rescue and firefighting personnel and air traffic controllers, all working together to ensure a safe outcome when something like this happens.”
He added that the FAA will likely be investigating where the smoke originated from.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has yet to publicly address the incident, though hours before the accident, he posted on X about “launching a full investigation into the DEI hiring allegations at the FAA immediately.”
