Denver, July 27 -- A major emergency unfolded at Denver International Airport on Saturday (local time) as passengers on board an American Airlines flight were forced to evacuate moments before takeoff due to a mechanical issue with the plane's landing gear, Fox News reported.

The incident happened on American Airlines Flight 3023, which was scheduled to fly from Denver to Miami. The problem was reported while the aircraft was still on the runway. In a dramatic video shared online, passengers can be seen rushing out of the plane through emergency slides and running to safety, while smoke and fire could be seen under the aircraft.

The Denver Fire Department said it responded to the incident and managed to extinguish the fire.

"All 173 pa...