A plane's landing gear caught fire at Denver Airport in the US before takeoff. There were 179 passengers on board. All were safely evacuated. The FAA is investigating.
American Airline Flight: A major accident was averted at Denver Airport when smoke and fire started emanating from the landing gear of a passenger plane just before takeoff. There were 179 passengers on board. All were safely evacuated. One person sustained minor injuries. The FAA has launched an investigation.
Technical Fault Halts Flight Before Takeoff
A major plane accident was averted at Denver Airport in the United States on Saturday. According to reports, when American Airlines Flight AA-3023 was preparing for takeoff, a technical fault occurred in its landing gear. The aircraft was a Boeing 737 Max 8 model and was scheduled to fly to Miami. Shortly before takeoff, smoke and then fire started coming from near the tires, causing panic. A major accident was averted due to the alertness of the pilot and airport administration, who cancelled the flight in time.
Lives of 179 Passengers Saved
There were a total of 179 people on board the plane at the time, including passengers and crew members. As soon as the information about the fire and smoke was received, a relief operation was immediately started. All the passengers were safely evacuated. The Denver Airport administration said that one person sustained minor injuries in the process, but no one was seriously hurt. After evacuating the passengers from the plane standing on the runway, they were taken to the terminal by bus.
Suspect Negligence in Maintenance
American Airlines issued a statement stating that the problem in the landing gear of the aircraft was due to tire-related maintenance. The company clarified that serious consequences were averted due to timely detection of this problem. However, it has not yet been confirmed what the real cause of the technical problem was. After the incident, the aircraft has been handed over to the maintenance team and a detailed investigation is being conducted.
Smoke and Panicked Passengers Seen in Video
A video of this incident has surfaced on social media, in which a plume of black smoke can be seen rising from the rear of the aircraft. Many passengers are seen getting off in panic, and the entire runway is filled with smoke. The video also showed that as soon as information about the fire and smoke was received, security agencies and the fire department immediately reached the spot and brought the situation under control.
FAA Launches Investigation
Upon receiving information about the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States announced an investigation. According to the FAA, information about a fault in the landing gear of the aircraft preparing to take off from Denver Airport at 2:45 pm (local time) on Saturday was received. After this, the plane was stopped on the runway itself and all the passengers were safely evacuated.
Fire Department Controlled the Fire in Time
Denver Airport officials said that as soon as information about smoke coming out of the plane's tires was received, the fire department was alerted. Relief work was immediately started after seeing the fire situation. The fire was completely brought under control by 5:10 pm. The airport administration said that the lives of the passengers could be saved by taking timely decisions while following all the safety protocols.
