Twelve people were rushed to the hospital in Colorado after an American Airlines flight caught fire while taxiing on the tarmac. The incident occurred shortly after the plane made an emergency landing, triggered by “engine vibrations.”
Dramatic videos shared online showed passengers standing on the wings of the Boeing 737-800 as flames roared beneath the aircraft. These passengers were eventually evacuated to safety via slides.
The flight had taken off from Colorado Springs at 4:52 p.m., heading for Dallas-Fort Worth. At 5:14 p.m., the flight was diverted, and by 5:55 p.m., it landed safely in Denver. But what happened next was nothing short of terrifying.
Gabrielle Hibbitts, a passenger on board, described the chaos. “We started noticing a weird burning plastic smell. Then everybody started screaming, saying there was a fire,” she told CBS Colorado. “It was surreal. I was like, ‘Is this gonna blow up? What’s happening here? Are they gonna be able to put out the fire?’”
Her mother, Ingrid Hibbitts, was shaken by the experience. “I’m really grateful this happened on the ground because if this happened in the air, I don’t think I’d be standing here telling you the story,” she said.
American Airlines confirmed that the fire started due to an “engine-related” issue as the plane was taxiing toward the gate. The flames were put out by Denver International Airport firefighters, and the airline praised the quick actions of the crew and first responders. Passengers’ luggage was safely removed from the plane, and the remaining travelers were flown to Texas around 1 a.m.
As of now, the FAA is investigating what caused the engine vibrations and the fire. Aviation safety expert Robert Sumwalt expressed confusion over how such a fire could break out while the plane was still on the ground. That will likely be a key point of the investigation.
Air traffic control audio reveals that the pilot had initially downplayed the situation. After reporting engine vibrations, the pilot told controllers, “Nah, we just have a high engine vibration, so we are cruising slower than normal.” But just moments later, the situation escalated. In a panicked radio call, someone yelled, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! Mayday! Engine fire!”
Although there were no reports of serious injuries, twelve passengers were confirmed to be hospitalized on Thursday night.
This incident comes amid a growing series of unsettling aviation events. Recently, a plane in Toronto crashed and flipped upon landing, and a Japan Airlines aircraft clipped a parked Delta plane while taxiing in Seattle. Despite the low odds of these occurrences, passengers are increasingly on edge.
Air travel remains one of the safest modes of transportation, but stories like this should be a wake-up call. There’s no room for complacency when it comes to passenger safety. A serious conversation about accountability and improvements in aviation safety is long overdue.
Watch more in the ABC News video report below:
