Passengers on an American Airlines Boeing 737 were forced to evacuate onto the wing of the airplane at Denver International Airport on Thursday afternoon when an engine caught fire shortly after the plane had made an emergency landing in Colorado.
American Airlines flight AA1006 from Colorado Springs to Dallas, operated by a 13-year-old Boeing 737-800, took off at 4:50 pm on March 13, but the pilots stopped the climb minutes after departure at 16,000 feet after they reported engine vibrations.
The aircraft then turned back on itself and headed towards Denver where it landed a few minutes later and started taxiing to the gate. As the plane was approaching the gate, however, the right-hand engine seemingly caught fire, prompting an emergency evacuation.
Some of the passengers managed to escape the burning plane via emergency slides, while others used overwing exits to escape onto the wing of the aircraft.
Dramatic eyewitness video taken by other passengers at the airport showed passengers crowding onto the wing as thick black smoke billowed around them.
Other videos showed the plume of black smoke rising above the tarmac as airport activity continued without any apparent disruption. The airport fire brigade did, however, quickly arrive at the scene to extinguish the blaze.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commented:
“American Airlines Flight 1006 diverted to and landed safely at Denver International Airport around 5:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, March 13, after the crew reported engine vibrations.”
“After landing and while taxiing to the gate, an engine caught fire, and passengers evacuated the aircraft using the slides. The Boeing 737-800 departed Colorado Springs Airport and was headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.”
The FAA confirmed that it will be investigating the incident.
American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment, although the airline later confirmed that six passengers had to be transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
The airline also said it would be sending a replacement aircraft to Denver International Airport so that passengers could continue on their journey to Dallas.
The evacuation may have been hampered because the trailing edge flaps were not lowered, allowing for an easier evacuation from the wing by bringing the wing closer to the ground. In this incident, passengers crowded onto the wing and looked like they were stuck due to the drop to the ground below.
