Imagine being ready for takeoff, seatbelt fastened, tray table up… and next thing you know, you’re sliding down an inflatable chute onto the tarmac like it’s a theme park gone rogue.
That’s exactly what happened on Saturday when an American Airlines flight at Denver International Airport was suddenly evacuated — on the actual runway — after the plane aborted takeoff.
Yep, full-on emergency vibes.
According to airport officials, the aircraft had just begun accelerating down the runway when something clearly went wrong. Whatever triggered it, it was enough for the pilot to slam the brakes and order an immediate evacuation. Passengers were seen bolting down the emergency slides directly onto the runway like a deleted scene from Snakes on a Plane — only with less Samuel L. Jackson and more “wtf is going on.”
Emergency services were quick to respond, and thankfully, there were no serious injuries. Just one person was taken to hospital with what officials described as “minor injuries.” Given the literal slide out they just experienced, we’re counting that as a win.
Social Media Reacts:
As expected, footage from the tarmac hit social media faster than the plane hit the brakes. TikToks, Tweets, and Instagram Stories were all flooded with wild scenes of confused passengers, inflatable slides, and the absolute chaos that comes when your casual weekend getaway turns into a runway scramble.
One user wrote:
“Just slid down a plane on the Denver runway — this flight is NOT giving vacation vibes. 0/10 would not recommend.”
Another joked:
“POV: You paid for an aisle seat and got an action movie instead.”
What Caused It?
At this point, American Airlines hasn’t revealed exactly what caused the aborted takeoff, only confirming that Flight 1657 was headed for Dallas-Fort Worth before the crew “detected an issue” and initiated an evacuation as a precaution.
“We apologize to our customers for their experience and thank our team for their professionalism in managing the situation,” the airline said in a statement — you know, the usual corporate “sorry you had to slide for your life” kind of thing.
The Takeaway?
If you’re flying out of Denver anytime soon, maybe hold off on watching Final Destination the night before.
And always — ALWAYS — wear shoes you can run in. You never know when your window seat turns into a runway sprint.
