American Airlines plane that caught fire in Denver had loose and incorrectly installed parts, NTSB report says
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found indications maintenance errors could be at fault for an American Airlines plane that caught fire after making an emergency landing at Denver International Airport in March.
Investigators say airport cameras captured video showing a trail of fluid following the plane as it taxied after diverting to Denver due to an engine issue. When investigators looked at the plane's engine, they discovered some parts were loose and appeared to be installed incorrectly, with one "allowing fuel to leak from the fitting."
"The way this is looking is that there was a maintenance issue that led to this fire and we've gotta figure out where that error occurred so we can keep that error from happening again," said former NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt, CBS News transportation safety analyst.
Passengers escape plane
The NTSB says the fire was put out in less than a minute by ground crews in Denver.
The report describes the chaos in the cabin after passengers, who were flying to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, saw flames under the engine.
"Everyone was screaming, 'There's a fire. There's a fire,'" Helen Prager, who was on the plane, recalled. "Literally at the gate and I was screaming, 'Get the doors open.'"
As that was happening, the NTSB said a flight attendant called the pilots, but "did not get an answer." Another flight attendant knocked on the cockpit door to alert the pilots of the fire outside and the smoke inside. Some of the 172 passengers evacuated to the wing, but an escape slide jammed, preventing the use of the cabin doors.
"When it did not deploy properly and it jammed the door, that's a problem," Sumwalt said. "So the NTSB is going to want to drill down into that. … Did it come from the factory that way, or was it a maintenance problem?"
Twelve people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries following the fire, officials said following the incident. The plane took off from Colorado Springs.
In a statement, American Airlines told CBS News, "The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority and we are cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation."
Aviation incidents in 2025
The plane fire in Denver is one in a string of aviation incidents so far this year.
In January, a midair collision where a Blackhawk helicopter struck an American Airlines plane near Reagan National Airport killed all 64 people on board the regional jet and the three soldiers in the helicopter. The flight was coming from Wichita, Kansas.
A Delta Air Lines regional jet crashed and flipped upside down during its landing at Toronto International Airport in February. The incident left 21 people injured, but all 80 on board, including the crew, were able to escape the wreckage.
Members of Congress were on a plane sitting on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport in April when it was clipped by another aircraft. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Meanwhile, the FAA is investigating outages that have happened at the Philadelphia air traffic control center, which is responsible for operating flights out of Newark airport. Multiple outages have occurred since April. Last month, the Trump administration announced plans to overhaul the system.
Despite high-profile incidents this year, a CBS News analysis based on NTSB and Bureau of Travel Statistics data shows .02% of domestic flights were involved in accidents in 2024.
