A non-emergency engine problem quickly took a turn for the worse when an American Airlines flight bound for Dallas from Colorado Springs was diverted to Denver on Thursday.
American Airlines Flight 1006 landed at the Denver International Airport at approximately 5:15 p.m. local time after the crew reported right-hand engine vibrations during departure. The diversion was taken as a precautionary measure, as the issue was not considered an emergency, per Airways magazine.
However, as the Boeing 737-800 taxied toward the airport, one of the plane’s engines caught on fire, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, per CNN.
By the time the plane arrived at the gate, flames and smoke were billowing from the aircraft, prompting an emergency evacuation. Some passengers exited the plane using the emergency slide, while others filed out the door and onto the wing, where they waited for ground crews to bring a ladder to disembark.
Ground crews were able to extinguish the flames quickly.
Twelve of the flight’s 172 passengers were transported to the hospital for minor injuries, CNN reported. All six crew members aboard the flight were uninjured.
Ingrid Hibbits, a passenger on the flight, said that when the plane caught fire, “Everyone started screaming.” When she looked out the window, she saw flames, and the window appeared to be “bubbling, like melting.”
“Everyone was kind of pushing to get out of the plane,” she said, per CNN affiliate KTVT.
Hibbits told CBS Colorado that she was “very grateful” that the fire happened while the plane was on the ground.
“Had this happened in the air, I don’t think I’d be standing here telling you this story,” she said.
Kristal Leonard was waiting inside the Denver airport for her connecting flight when she looked out the window and saw the American Airlines flight engulfed in flames and smoke.
“I was terrified for those passengers,” Leonard said, per CNN. “I can’t even imagine how scared they must’ve been.”
American Airlines issued a brief statement to thank those involved in the emergency response effort.
“We thank our crew members, DEN team and first responders for their quick and decisive action with the safety of everyone on board and on the ground as the priority,” American Airlines said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the engine vibrations and subsequent fire.