American Airlines passengers were forced to evacuate their plane after it caught on fire at Denver Airport on Thursday following mid-air engine trouble.
Terrified passengers were seen fleeing via the wing of the aircraft as smoke billowed from the plane.
The flight, AA 1006, had departed Colorado Springs Airport at 4:52pm (local time) and was headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was diverted to Denver shortly after takeoff when the crew reported engine vibrations, according to Federal Aviation Administration.
‘After landing and while taxiing to the gate an engine caught fire and passengers evacuated the aircraft using the slides,’ said the FAA.
The frightening tarmac escape is the latest in a series of crashes and near misses involving US passenger jets, including the American Airlines flight which collided with a helicopter, killing 67 people in January.
The incidents have shaken the public’s trust in the aviation sector amid Donald Trump’s FAA purge which cut a swath through staff weeks after the fatal collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Footage from Thursday’s fire on the tarmac showed the fire has caused significant damage to the plane, with one area on the right side above the wing charred black.
American Airlines passengers were forced to evacuate after their plane caught on fire at the Denver Airport on Thursday
Flames erupting from under the plane were doused with water
Horrifying footage shared on social media showed the passengers fleeing to the tarmac and exiting from the plane wings
Emergency slides were activated and people were seen walking around the tarmac near the aircraft being ushered to safety.
Denver International Airport told KDVR there was an aircraft fire ‘to an American Airlines plane’ that was sitting at gate C38 on Thursday evening, producing ‘visible smoke.’
‘Passengers were evacuated and the slides were deployed,’ the airport said. The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported.
A video taken from inside the airport looking out to the plane showed ladders being assembled by ground crew beneath the wing to help escort people down.
Portable stairs were eventually stationed at the end of the wing and passengers were helped down to the tarmac where they gathered back inside the airport.
Thick plumes of black smoke were seen billowing into the air in videos shared online.
Emergency services were seen dousing the plane in water while the plane was still stationed at Terminal C of the airport.
One man was seen clutching onto a woman as they carefully navigated the wobbly wing of the aircraft.
ABC News reported only a few minor injuries incurred during the evacuation and six passengers were transported to the hospital for evaluation.
It was diverted to Denver shortly after takeoff when the crew reported engine vibrations. The plane caught fire after landing
American Airlines said no one was injured and thanked the Denver Airport for their quick response
Emergency slides had been activated and people were seen walking around the tarmac near the aircraft being ushered to safety
Denver International Airport told KDVR there was an aircraft fire ‘to an American Airlines plane’ that was sitting at gate C38 on Thursday evening
‘After landing safely and taxiing to the gate at Denver International Airport (DEN), American Airlines Flight 1006 experienced an engine-related issue,’ the company said.
‘The 172 customers and six crew members deplaned and are being 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.’
The American Airlines Washington, DC crash marked the deadliest US air disaster in 24 years, and the first major US commercial passenger flight crash in more than 15 years, following the Colgan Air Flight crash in 2009.
Less than a month later, on February 17, a Delta passenger plane crashed-landed upside down in chaotic scenes at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada.
Miraculously, everyone on board survived after being suspended upside-down by their seatbelts for several minutes until they tentatively began evacuating.
The plane had been heading to Toronto from Minneapolis – Saint Paul International Airport with 76 passengers and four crew members on board.
Some 21 people were taken to the hospital for treatment to minor injuries, and Delta has offered each person a no-strings $30,000 payout in compensation.
And the plane carnage is ongoing – on Sunday, yet another jet crash-landed, this time in a parking lot of a suburban Pennsylvania retirement home.
In February, a Delta plane crash-landed and flipped over at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Medics, ambulances, and emergency vehicles rushed to the scene in Lancaster County as flames engulfed the plane and nearby vehicles.
The plane took off as scheduled on Sunday afternoon, but quickly requested to land back on the tarmac because its door had opened.
Horrifying air traffic control audio revealed the pilot telling ground agents that they needed to turn around – but at one point he said that he couldn’t hear the radio because of all the wind noise, caused by the unlocked hatch.
The air traffic controller can be heard saying: ‘Pull up… the aircraft is down just behind the terminal in the parking lot tree area.’
In a statement to DailyMail.com, an FAA spokesperson said five people were on board the plane. They have all been transferred to local hospitals with various injuries.
Other recent plane horrors include a mid-air collision over Arizona’s Marana Airport on February 19 which killed two people.
One of the planes was left in a pile of rubble and ashes after it crash-landed next to the runway, while the other aircraft landed safely, according to the Associated Press.
