Federal authorities are investigating an incident in which two tires on an American Airlines Boeing 737 blew out as the aircraft was preparing for takeoff from Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday.
The flight, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, was taxiing when the tires failed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Passengers were able to deplane safely via stairs and were bused to the terminal. They were scheduled to depart on a replacement aircraft, and ultimately arrived at their destination nearly four hours after their original scheduled landing time.
American Airlines issued a statement apologizing for the disruption and inconvenience to passengers. The airline stated, "We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans."
This latest incident is the fifth reported tire-related issue at Chicago O’Hare this month, although no clear explanation for the series of events has been identified. On Saturday, another American Airlines flight experienced a tire burst after landing. Earlier in the week, on August 17, American Airlines reported two blown tires after landing, and a United Airlines flight also reported a blown tire on the same day.
An earlier incident on August 13 involved a United Airlines flight that blew a tire during takeoff while headed to Phoenix. No injuries were reported in any of these tire-related events at the airport.