American Airlines flight AA3023 were forced to evacuate the plane ahead of its takeoff at the Denver International Airport on Saturday, after a landing gear malfunction led to fire.

The American Airlines said the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft suffered a maintenance issue with the tyre while it was set to fly to Miami International Airport from the Denver airport.

Passengers and crew were safely evacuated via emergency slides as smoke billowed underneath the aircraft.

In a statement to CBS News, the American Airlines said, “American Airlines flight 3023 experienced a maintenance issue prior to takeoff at Denver International Airport (DEN). All customers and crew deplaned safely, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team.”

Five individuals were evaluated for injuries at the scene, though none required hospitalization. However, one person was later taken to a medical facility for treatment of a minor injury, according to the Fox News report.

In a video footage shared online, passengers can be seen rushing out of the aircraft via emergency slides and running to safety, while smoke and fire can be seen billowing from underneath the plane.

The Denver Fire Department responded swiftly to the scene and successfully extinguished the fire.

The incident came just a day after another aviation scare, when a Southwest Airlines flight from California to Las Vegas was forced to nosedive to avoid a midair collision, causing some passengers to hit the aircraft ceiling, Fox News reported.

“Boeing has a safety problem — instead of fixing these problems they are busy spending huge amounts in PR to safeguard its profits and business. Here’s another incident involving a Boeing jet,” Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on X on Sunday, sharing a news report about the Denver evacuation.

Chaturvedi's post also comes in the wake of the June 12 crash of an Air India Dreamliner near Ahmedabad airport, which triggered renewed scrutiny of Boeing's safety systems. Preliminary attention has focused on a suspected in-flight shutdown of both engines during takeoff.

Boeing, as per Reuters, has bled more than $30 billion since 2019 after two fatal crashes of its best-selling 737 MAX jet triggered production quality and safety concerns. The pandemic further squeezed the company.

(With inputs from agencies)