Atlanta: Following a landing at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, a Delta Airlines aircraft experienced a tire fire and subsequent burst, resulting in the evacuation of 190 passengers onto the tarmac, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The incident occurred around 6 p.m., when Delta Flight 1437 from Boston experienced a blowout in its left main gear tires as it touched down in Atlanta, the FAA said in a statement.
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A passenger on the Boeing 757 sent a photo and a video to 11Alive, a local news station, showing people sliding down the emergency chute of the plane to escape the flames.
Bruce Campbell, who was on board the flight, praised the Delta crew and the airport first responders for their professionalism and quick response.
Atlanta Airport Incident: Passengers Evacuated via Emergency Slides and Transferred to Terminal
The passengers used emergency slides to leave the aircraft. They were taken from the tarmac to the terminal by a bus, WSB reported.
According to airport officials, the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department and airport emergency operations responded to “an incident involving an aircraft,” according to the television station.
A spokesperson for Delta offered an apology for the inconvenience for passengers.
“We appreciate the efforts of our flight crew and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport first responders. They managed through the safe landing of flight 1437 at our hub this afternoon.” the spokesperson said. “Initial reports indicate that one of the aircraft’s tires blew upon landing and components of the landing gear were hot.
“Customers evacuated via emergency slides and are being moved to the terminal via bus. We apologize to each for this experience — nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and crew.”
Also, airport officials have not confirmed the exact reason why the tire popped, WSB reported. Delta said it would conduct an investigation into the incident.
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