American Airlines Jet Engine Catches Fire at Denver International

An American Boeing 737-800 [Credit: AirlineGeeks/ William Derrickson]

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating what sparked a fire in an engine of an American Airlines Boeing 737-800 at Denver International Airport (KDEN) on Thursday.

The aircraft, which had just taken off from Colorado Springs Airport (KCOS), had diverted to Denver after the airline crew reported an engine vibration to air traffic control, FAA said.

The jet touched down around 5 p.m. MDT and as it taxied to the gate, a mayday call was declared due to fire.

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The flight's 172 passengers were evacuated by emergency slides, overwing exits, and the jetway. Photographs of the event show billowing smoke and people standing on the wing of the airliner.

According to a fire department spokesperson, 14 passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation and were taken to a hospital as a precaution.

This is a developing story.

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Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.