Burning landing gear and black smoke all around: plane with 179 people on board catches fire in US
Illustrative photo: passenger Boeing (Getty Images)
A passenger Boeing 737 Max caught fire during takeoff at Denver International Airport while en route to Miami. There were 179 people on board, all were urgently evacuated, according to the New York Post.
On Friday, July 26, an emergency occurred at Denver International Airport.
During the takeoff of an American Express Boeing 737 Max en route to Miami, a fire broke out. The aircraft’s landing gear suddenly caught fire, causing panic on board.
The pilots immediately halted the aircraft on the runway and initiated an emergency evacuation. Passengers were evacuated from the cabin using emergency slides.
In footage captured by eyewitnesses, panicked passengers can be seen sliding down the chutes as the rear of the plane is engulfed in flames and thick black smoke billows into the air.
A Boeing 737 MAX wheel caught fire on a Denver to Miami flight. All 173 passengers and 6 crew safely evacuated.
— Tirish Reddy (@tirishreddy) July 27, 2025
#Boeing737MAX #AviationSafety #FlightIncident pic.twitter.com/sLFGCyECe9
At the time of the incident, there were 173 passengers and 6 crew members on board the aircraft.
Fortunately, no fatalities were reported.
According to local authorities, five passengers sustained minor injuries and were treated on site. One person was hospitalized for further examination.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Preliminary reports suggest a possible technical malfunction of the landing gear, which is being reviewed separately, especially in light of increased scrutiny over the safety of Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
As a result of the incident, 87 flights at the airport were delayed.
Additionally, at Mexico City International Airport, two passenger planes narrowly avoided a collision due to an air traffic controller’s error.
