An American Airlines plane caught fire after landing at Denver International Airport (DEN) due to a diversion earlier today.
The incident occurred just after 5:00p local time after American Airlines Flight 1006 between Colorado Springs (COS) and Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) was forced to divert to Denver due to an engine vibration. Based on ATC audio, the pilots did not declare an emergency during the diversion but did note that they were flying slower than usual because of it.
After landing, the Boeing 737-800, registration N885NN, had its right engine catch fire while approaching the gate. Passengers onboard the aircraft were forced to evacuate, some onto the wings where they were surrounded by smoke.
BREAKING: American Airlines plane catches fire at Denver airport pic.twitter.com/DwQvCCRrNz
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 14, 2025
Based on videos from the scene, it appears that the pilots did not lower the trailing edge flaps which would be used as slides in the event of an overwing evacuation. Instead, airline employees had to roll ladders over to the aircraft to get passengers off of the plane safely.
BREAKING: An American Airlines plane carrying 178 people appeared to catch fire on the tarmac after making an emergency landing at Denver International Airport Thursday evening, forcing passengers to evacuate by climbing out onto the wing of the plane. https://t.co/gWlirSyILE pic.twitter.com/AOSU1iB24H
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 14, 2025
American Airlines has not issued an official statement regarding the incident but, based on reports, of the 178 passengers and crew onboard six needed to be transported to area hospitals.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident and provided the following statement:
“American Airlines Flight 1006 diverted to and landed safely at Denver International Airport around 5:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, March 13, after the crew reported engine vibrations. After landing and while taxiing to the gate an engine caught fire and passengers evacuated the aircraft using the slides. The Boeing 737-800 departed Colorado Springs Airport and was headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information.”
While the photos from this are quite shocking at first glance, this incident would have likely been a footnote in the news if it wasn’t for a string of aviation incidents in recent months.
Things like the fatal crash of an American Eagle jet with a Blackhawk helicopter in Washington D.C. and a Delta Connection flight flipping over while landing in Toronto have put an extreme amount of scrutiny on aviation at the moment.
While incidents like this need to be investigated, flying on a commercial jet is still the safest form of transportation in the country. However, seeing passengers continue to evacuate aircraft with their luggage and personal items is disappointing and needs to stop.
Summary
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800 was forced to divert to Denver after a vibration was identified on takeoff from nearby Colorado Springs. Flight 1006 was bound for DFW before diverting and the right engine caught fire while taxiing to the gate in Denver. Passengers were forced to evacuate the aircraft with some being taken to local hospitals. The incident is currently under investigation.