A DHL cargo plane made a dramatic, fiery landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Wednesday night after experiencing a serious technical malfunction. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Kalitta Charters II as flight KII1814, was arriving from Phoenix when its landing gear suffered a brake explosion and fire.
Video footage captured the intense incident, showing bright bursts of fire erupting from the plane's landing gear as it skidded down Runway 25L. Loud popping sounds were heard before the undercarriage became engulfed in flames, severely damaging its rear tires. The pilot reported to air traffic control shortly after the plane came to a stop, stating, "Our anti-skid was off there. I don’t know if we blew a tire, but it feels like the brakes locked up."
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded quickly to the scene and extinguished the fire, preventing further damage to the aircraft. No injuries were reported among the flight crew.
The exact cause of the brake failure is currently under investigation. This incident occurred on August 26.
In a separate event earlier this month, an American Airlines plane made an emergency landing in South Carolina after flames were observed shooting from an engine shortly after takeoff, reportedly after striking a bird.