Aircraft catches fire after landing in Denver, sending passengers onto wing as smoke engulfs plane

DENVER (AP) — A fire on an American Airlines plane after it diverted mid-flight and landed at Denver International Airport sent passengers fleeing onto a wing in a fraught evacuation amid billowing clouds of smoke. Airport officials said 12 people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

The country has seen a recent spate of aviation disasters and close calls stoking fears about air travel, though flying remains a safe way to travel. Recent on-the-ground accidents included a plane that crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto and a Japan Airlines plane that clipped a parked Delta plane while it was taxiing at the Seattle airport.

Flight 1006 was headed from the Colorado Springs to Dallas Fort Worth on Thursday but diverted to Denver after the crew reported engine vibrations. It landed safely around 5:15 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. An engine on the Boeing 737-800 caught fire as it taxied to the gate, the FAA added.

Passengers described people exiting the plane onto its left wing, as an engine beneath the right wing burned and black smoke surrounded the aircraft. They lined up and got to the ground using slides and ladders brought over by ground crews, according to the FAA, video footage and passenger interviews.

All 172 passengers and six crew members were safely evacuated, authorities said. American Airlines referred questions about the 12 people taken to hospitals to local officials.

The damaged plane was seen parked behind a hangar at the airport Friday.

Passenger Hani Levi said she felt a “very strong vibration” after the plane took off, followed later by an announcement that there would an emergency landing emergency landing in Denver because of an apparent engine problem.

As the plane taxied to the gate, the former military airplane mechanic from Las Vegas who was sitting in a window seat, saw smoke coming from the wing and then fire. A passenger said to evacuate, but Levi said some people were panicking and a mother screamed that she needed to get off with her two children, one of whom tried to run toward the front of the plane, she said.

Black smoke filled the cabin as people crowded the exit, but Levi had to remain seated because a handicapped woman was between her and the aisle. As they waited for a wheelchair, Levi watched black smoke and flames spitting from the wing just feet from her seat. People could be heard jostling to get off the plane in videos Levi took, with one person saying “orderly, orderly” and another saying “go go.”

“I chose to stay calm,” said Levi, who said she tried not to breathe deeply to avoid inhaling the smoke.

Passenger Daniel Friedman said he started thinking about writing a eulogy as the chaotic evacuation unfolded. He described people pushing and shoving to get off.

“Really I just wanted to make sure we got here safe and didn’t know if it was going to happen or not,” Friedman told WRAL-TV, “I don’t wish that upon anybody.”

Twelve people were treated at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora Thursday night and released, the hospital said Friday.

A replacement plane and crew took passengers to Dallas-Fort Worth, the airline said. The flight landed Friday around 5 a.m. local time, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

American Airlines said in a statement that the flight experienced an engine-related issue after taxiing to the gate. There was no immediate clarification on exactly when the plane caught fire.

Engine fires are rare, and crews trained to deal with them, aviation expert Steven Wallace said. They typically are not catastrophic even if they occur in the air because planes can fly with a single engine, he said.

“A pilot going to work for an airline today could likely fly for 30 years and never experience an engine failure,” said Wallace, a former director of the FAA’s accident investigations office.

Two engine fires made news in recent weeks: a fire on a United Airlines flight Feb. 2 as it was preparing to take off from Houston and a March 1 fire on a FedEx cargo plane that made an emergency landing in New Jersey following a bird strike.

Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman James Hall said the reported engine vibrations on the American flight were unusual but a slew of problems could have caused them and a fire, making it difficult to speculate on.

As for the recent spate of aviation incidents, “given the past history, you can classify it as unusual,” said Hall, but “I don’t know if you have enough information to draw any conclusions.”

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board said they will investigate.

The plane was built in 2012 with an engine from CFM International. Boeing declined comment, and CFM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, American Airlines thanked its employees and first responders “for their quick and decisive action” following the accident.

Colorado resident Ian Paisley was flying from Denver to Hawaii on Friday with his family and heard about Thursday’s fire but didn’t think that it would change their plans.

“We can have confidence that even though these are terrible things that happen and very frightening for people, that for most of us it’s not going to be something that affects our lives,” he said.

This story has been corrected to say that Levi said she tried not to breathe too deeply to avoid inhaling smoke.

An American Airlines employee checks in a passenger at Denver International Airport on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/ Thomas Peipert)

Passengers descend an escalator at Denver International Airport on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/ Thomas Peipert)

An American Airlines jetliner that caught fire after landing Thursday at Denver International Airport sits near a hangar at the airport Friday, March 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

An American Airlines jetliner that caught fire after landing Thursday at Denver International Airport sits near a hangar at the airport Friday, March 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

An American Airlines jetliner that caught fire after landing Thursday at Denver International Airport sits near a hangar at the airport Friday, March 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

In this image taken from video provided by Justus Rainey, passengers move away from a plane as smoke surrounded the aircraft, in Denver, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Justus Rainey via AP)

In this image taken from video provided by Justus Rainey, passengers move away from a plane as smoke surrounded the aircraft, in Denver, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Justus Rainey via AP)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A sprawling storm system crossing the U.S. on Friday caused deadly crashes, overturned semitrucks and fanned dozens of wildfires in several central states, prompting evacuation orders in some communities. At least three Tornadoes touched down in Missouri, and threats of more loomed for the Mississippi Valley into the night and the Deep South on Saturday.

The National Weather Service warned of extreme weather across a vast swath of the country that is home to more than 100 million people. Powerful winds gusting up to 80 mph (130 kph) were forecast from the Canadian border to Texas.

Three people were killed Friday in car crashes in the Texas Panhandle caused by the dust storm, according to Sgt. Cindy Barkley with the state’s department of public safety.

“It’s been a nightmare out here,” Barkley said, adding it was difficult to assess many of the crashes due to the near-zero visibility from the dust.

Nearly 150 fires were reported in Oklahoma, Andy James, Oklahoma Forestry Services fire management chief, told KOCO-TV. The State Patrol said on the social platform X that dusty winds toppled several tractor-trailers.

“This is terrible out here,” Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling a 48-foot trailer along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma, said of the high winds whipping up dust. “There’s a lot of sand and dirt in the air. I’m not pushing it over 55 mph. I’m scared it will blow over if I do.”

Forecasters said the severe storm threat would continue into the weekend with a high chance of tornadoes and damaging winds Saturday in Mississippi and Alabama. Heavy rain could bring flash flooding to some parts of the East Coast on Sunday.

Experts say it's not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.

“What’s unique about this one is its large size and intensity,” said Bill Bunting of the weather service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. “And so what that is doing is producing really substantial impacts over a very large area.”

The National Weather Service said it observed three evening tornadoes, including in south-central Missouri city of Grovespring.

The Storm Prediction Center said fast-moving storms could spawn twisters and hail as large as baseballs, but the greatest threat would come from straight-line winds near or exceeding hurricane force, with gusts of 100 mph (160 kph) possible.

A tornado watch was issued until 11 p.m. for central and eastern Missouri, including St. Louis, as well as parts of Illinois and Arkansas.

Other areas at risk included parts of Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi.

About 47 million people faced an enhanced to moderate severe storm threat from Madison, Wisconsin, to Birmingham, Alabama.

Forecasters grew increasingly worried that intense thunderstorms farther south will likely bring an even greater tornado threat Saturday.

The Storm Prediction Center said parts of Mississippi including Jackson and Hattiesburg and areas of Alabama including Birmingham and Tuscaloosa will be at a high risk. Severe storms and tornadoes are also possible across eastern Louisiana, western Georgia, central Tennessee and the western Florida Panhandle.

“We have a lot of confidence that we most likely will have a tornado outbreak tomorrow,” Storm Prediction Center meteorologist Evan Bentley said in an online briefing.

Wildfires in the Southern Plains threatened to spread rapidly amid warm, dry weather and strong winds, and evacuations were ordered for some communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico.

A blaze in Roberts County, Texas, northeast of Amarillo, quickly blew up from less than a square mile (about 2 square kilometers) to an estimated 17.1 square miles (44 square kilometers), the Texas A&M University Forest Service said on X. Crews stopped its advance by the evening.

About 60 miles (90 kilometers) to the south, another fire grew to about 3.9 square miles (10 square kilometers) before its advance was halted in the afternoon.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management activated its emergency operations center after several fast-moving fires that prompted evacuations of the town of Leedey in the western part of the state and in a rural area east of Norman.

Firefighters had been prepositioned in certain areas, which helps authorities jump on blazes early, James said. Firefighting aircraft were also deployed in some parts of Oklahoma and Texas but were generally unable to fly due to low visibility from smoke and dust, he added.

In the evening, the National Weather Service in Norman said a “complex of extremely dangerous fires” was located northeast of Oklahoma City, near Stillwater, and urged some people in the city of about 50,000 to evacuate. Officials issued mandatory evacuation orders via social media that included homes, hotels and a Walmart.

Jennifer Thompson, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Norman, described the fire conditions in the central and northern parts of the state as historic and highly anomalous.

Roughly 120 miles (190 kilometers) of Interstate 70 in western Kansas shut down due to blowing dust and limited visibility, and roads in the state’s east were closed amid wildfires and smoke.

A dust storm in Amarillo County, Texas, caused a crash involving an estimated 38 cars.

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” Barkley said. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”

Officials urged people in some areas of central Missouri’s Camden County to evacuate due to wildfires, and the State Highway Patrol warned via social media that they were nearing homes and businesses.

High winds also knocked out power to more than 220,000 homes and businesses in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, according the website poweroutage.us.

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota starting early Saturday. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters) were expected, with up to a foot (30 centimeters) possible.

Winds gusting to 60 mph were expected to cause whiteout conditions. Combined with a light glaze of ice that could fall before temperatures drop, travel in the area could be treacherous that day, the weather service said.

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. AP journalists Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Mike Hempen in Washington; Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri; Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed.

The Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma is seen covered by dusk and smoke as wildfires spread across Oklahoma on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Families evacuated from wildfires near Norman, Okla. talk and watch the latest news information on tv at CrossPoint Church in Norman on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Norman Oklahoma fire crews put out hot spots following a wildfire SE of Norman on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

A wildfire spread through the country side SE of Norman, Okla. on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

This photo provided by the Missouri State Patrol shows a tractor-trailer overturned by high winds on highway MO-210 in Ray County, Missouri, on Friday, March 14, 2025.(Missouri State Patrol via AP)

The Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma is seen covered by dusk and smoke as wildfires spread across Oklahoma on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Families evacuated from wildfires near Norman, Okla. talk and watch the latest news information on tv at CrossPoint Church in Norman on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Norman Oklahoma fire crews put out hot spots following a wildfire SE of Norman on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

A wildfire spread through the country side SE of Norman, Okla. on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

This photo provided by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol shows a tractor-trailer overturned on highway US 183 just south of Hobart, Oklahoma on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Oklahoma Highway Patrol via AP)

Beach goers trudge through the sand in a windy day south of the pier in Huntington Beach, Calif., Thursday, March 13, 2025, after strong storms moved through the region overnight. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

Hudson Kammarcal, 8, runs in the wind as his mother, Heidi Kammarcal, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, tries to keep up on the pier in Huntington Beach, Calif., Thursday, March 13, 2025, after strong storms moved through the region overnight. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

Melissa Jones and her husband, Jeff Jones, visiting from Lincoln, Neb., walk through the wind on the pier in Huntington Beach, Calif., Thursday, March 13, 2025, after strong storms moved through the region overnight. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

A woman walks the trails at Civic Center Park in Newport Beach, Calif., Thursday, March 13, 2025, after strong storms moved through the region overnight. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Crews work to remove a large pine tree from Glencannon Drive after severe weather hit in Pico Rivera, Calif., Thursday, March 13, 2025. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)

This satellite image from NOAA shows a March megastorm building across the United States, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (NOAA via AP)