Denver, 27 July

A major emergency unfolded at Denver International Airport on Saturday (local time) as passengers on board an American Airlines flight were forced to evacuate moments before takeoff due to a mechanical issue with the plane's landing gear, Fox News reported.

The incident happened on American Airlines Flight 3023, which was scheduled to fly from Denver to Miami. The problem was reported while the aircraft was still on the runway. In a dramatic video shared online, passengers can be seen rushing out of the plane through emergency slides and running to safety, while smoke and fire could be seen under the aircraft.

The Denver Fire Department said it responded to the incident and managed to extinguish the fire.

"All 173 passengers and six crew members on board the Boeing 737 Max 8 were safely removed from the aircraft," Fox News reported.

Five people were evaluated for injuries but did not require hospitalisation. However, one person was taken to a medical facility for a minor injury, according to Fox News.

In a statement to Fox Business, American Airlines said, "American Airlines Flight 3023 experienced a mechanical issue on take-off roll at Denver International Airport (DEN). All customers and crew members deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection by our maintenance team. We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologise to our customers for their experience."

The airline confirmed that the aircraft had a maintenance issue with a tire, and the affected passengers would travel to Miami on a replacement flight later the same day.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also issued a statement confirming the incident.

"American Airlines Flight 3023 reported a possible landing gear incident during departure from Denver International Airport around 2.45 pm local time Saturday, 26 July. Passengers evacuated on the runway and are being transported to the terminal by bus," the FAA said, as per Fox News.

Due to the emergency, Denver Airport issued a ground stop for incoming flights between 2 pm and 3 pm, which led to delays for about 90 flights, according to FlightAware data cited by Fox News.

The incident comes just a day after a Southwest Airlines flight from California to Las Vegas had to suddenly nosedive to avoid a midair collision, causing passengers to hit the ceiling of the aircraft, Fox News reported.

The FAA has initiated an investigation into the Denver incident.