American Airlines jet bursts into flames at Denver Airport as terrified passengers forced to escape onto wing
by Danielle de Wolfe · LBCBy Danielle de Wolfe
The terrifying moment an American Airlines flight at a Colorado airport was forced to evacuate passengers via the plane's wing as flames engulfed the jet has been caught on camera.
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Footage shows passengers being evacuated from the Boeing airliner as a blaze engulfed one of its engines, after the flight was forced to make an emergency landing at the airport.
Flight AA1006 took off from Colorado Springs on Thursday was due to land at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas before an engine issue forced its diversion at 17:15 pm local time (23:15 GMT).
The crew are thought to have reported "engine vibrations" which forced its diversion before the fire took hold as it was taxiing on the tarmac, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed.
Videos posted online from travellers at Denver Airport show a line of passengers disembarking the aircraft as thick smoke engulfs the plane.
American Airlines confirmed the Boeing 737-800 had 172 passengers on board at the time.
No serious injuries were reported, but it's believed 12 people suffered minor injuries.
The FAA - which has faced harsh criticism and huge cuts by President Trump in recent weeks - said passengers used inflatable slides to reach the ground safely.
The agency said it would now start an investigation into the cause of the incident.
Footage of the incident was posted to social media by Alexandria Cullen, the press assistant to Republican congressman Gabe Evans.
In her post, she told X users that her mother had been aboard the plane as the flames took hold.
"American Airlines flight 4012 caught fire after an engine failed…. Plane was diverted to Denver."
"My mom was on this flight. THANK YOU GOD that they are alive."
It's the latest in a series of aviation incidents across North America, after a Delta plane crash landed before clipping a wing, flipping onto its back and exploding into a fireball in Toronto.
All 80 people on board survived and travellers have told of the extreme stress and fear they experienced during the crash.
Footage filmed by someone on the Ground at Toronto Pearson International Airport has now emerged, that clearly shows yesterday’s crash-landing in full.
It comes after an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter, before coming to rest in a river in Washington, killing nearly all passengers on board.
It was later revealed the Washington air traffic control tower overseeing the flights, where 67 people died, was understaffed at the time.