Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
Two employees were killed and a third was seriously injured after an airplane tire exploded this morning at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The Delta TechOps team, responsible for aircraft maintenance, was near the aircraft when the tire suddenly burst.
#BREAKING@Delta: “we are heartbroken”
Two team members killed, a third hurt in incident at Atlanta’s Delta TechOps Maintenance facility.
FOX5 received reports this AM of tire explosion at the facility on Maynard Jackson Blvd.
Investigation underway into what went wrong. pic.twitter.com/5zzqkTX8qd
— Kaitlyn Pratt (@Fox5Kaitlyn) August 27, 2024
Fox 5 Atlanta reports that the Boeing 757-200 aircraft had arrived from Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) on Sunday night and was in the hangar for maintenance. Delta Air Lines released the following statement following this tragic accident:
The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of two team members and the injury of another following an incident this morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility (TOC 3). We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.
The Delta family is grateful for the quick action of first responders and medical teams on site. We are now working with local authorities and conducting a full investigation to determine what happened. “
I offer my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased Delta employees. My thoughts are also with those who were injured, and I hope for their swift and full recovery. AFRD, APD, and HJAIA teams are on the scene, working diligently to address the situation.
— Andre Dickens (@andreforatlanta) August 27, 2024
Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens, also shared his condolences. No word has been released around what caused the tire explosion. Commercial aircraft tires are pressurized at around 300 psi (pounds per square inch). This is almost ten times what your car’s tire pressure is usually (most automobiles are around 35 psi).
Anthony’s Take: My condolences to the families and friends of these employees. This is a rare, freak accident and not something that happens often.
(Featured Image Credit: Lukas Souza.)
(H/T: Paddle Your Own Kanoo.)
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
3 comments
I had the tire explode on a jetway a few years ago. Nobody was around, thankfully, but a flight was due in about an hour later on that gate. I was in my office about two gates away and it sounded like someone drove into the building. A colleague at another airline heard it from two concourses away. I’d imagine aircraft tires have a higher pressure than that thing, but it flung pieces that were at least a foot long pretty far. I implored the airport to put solid state tires on that jetway like my others had… it was done hours later.
Condolences to the DL team. Very tragic accident and a reminder how things can happen when least expected. I’ll spare the details that I’ve heard, but it was pretty traumatic for anybody within sight.
Wow. It’s very sad.
I found out some information. Two techs were disassembling a wheel hub on main landing gear tire that was inflated to 250psi. As they removed bolts, they hit a point where the hub would no longer hold and it burst. Literally ripped one person apart instantly and the other passed away en route to hospital.