This is the moment a tire on a Boeing 737 plane exploded as the pilots prepared for takeoff from Tampa International Airport.
American Airlines Flight 590 was taxiing down the runway Wednesday morning when the plane experienced a mechanical problem, causing the right side of the aircraft to explode and catch fire.
Video footage of the attempted takeoff showed a layer of gray smoke filling the air after the tire sparked, sending rubber fragments onto the runway.
There were 174 passengers and six crew members on board the flight to Phoenix, an American Airlines spokesman said. No one was injured in the incident.
The horrific accident happened just two days after another Boeing plane bounced off the runway in Los Angeles after a wheel fell off.
American Airlines Flight 590 was taxiing onto the runway at Tampa International Airport on Wednesday morning when the plane experienced a mechanical problem, causing the right side of the aircraft to separate and burst into flames.
Video footage of the Boeing 737 plane’s attempted takeoff shows a layer of gray smoke filling the air after the tire ignited, sending rubber fragments flying across the runway
An emergency response team was sent to the airport near Taxiway W around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning after the tire of the Boeing 737 plane exploded, a Tampa airport spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
“Emergency, emergency, emergency. They’re on fire,” YouTube user Captain Steven Markovich, who shared a video of the incident, was heard yelling as the tire sparked.
Other voices heard on the radio were: “Abort” and “We have a flat tire.”
Passengers and crew members exited the plane ‘safely’ and were bused to Airside F. They were then rebooked on an alternative flight to Phoenix.
An American Airlines spokesman said there was “a mechanical issue with the runway” involving “some of the airplane’s tires.”
It is unclear whether the problem has now been resolved.
After the explosion, an emergency response team was sent to the airport. There were 174 passengers and six crew members on board the flight to Phoenix. No one was injured in the incident
“Customers safely disembarked from the aircraft and were taken to the terminal by bus,” the spokesperson said. “We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
No other flights were operating at the airport due to the incident.
The tire accident is just the latest in a series of alarming problems plaguing Boeing aircraft.
Earlier this week, a Boeing 757’s wheel was seen bouncing across the runway after becoming detached during takeoff.
The United Airlines plane took off from Los Angeles on Monday when disaster struck: one of the landing gear wheels rolled across the tarmac.
Miraculously, the plane, carrying 174 passengers and seven crew members, landed safely in Denver despite the malfunction.
United Airlines confirmed the wheel had been recovered in Los Angeles and said: “We are investigating the cause of this incident.”
Heartbreaking footage showed the wheel of a Boeing 757 bouncing down a runway in Los Angeles on Monday after it became detached during takeoff
It’s similar to an accident in March, when a United Boeing B777-200 jet lost a tire, this time after takeoff from San Francisco.
On March 7, the wheel crashed into a car in an airport staff parking lot.
In April, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 lost its engine cowling during takeoff.
And in January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max suffered a broken door during flight.
This came just days after the company announced it would plead guilty to fraud in connection with the approval of its 737 Max before two of the planes crashed, killing 346 people off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia.
The US aerospace giant has apparently calculated that it is better to confess to a crime than to fight the charges and endure a lengthy public trial.
In a legal document filed late Sunday night, minutes before the midnight deadline, the Justice Department made the agreement public and said the fraud charge was “the most serious, readily provable offense” that could be brought against Boeing.
Prosecutors said Boeing must pay an additional $243.6 million in fines, equal to the fine the company paid in 2021 for the same crime.
The Justice Department says that if convicted of fraud, Boeing would be held liable for “false statements” the company made to regulators who certified the 737 Max in 2017.
The crashes occurred less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019.
The incident bears a striking resemblance to one that occurred in March, when a United Boeing 777-200 jet lost a tire, this time after takeoff from San Francisco (pictured above).
The company remains under investigation over the January explosion of a panel on an Alaska Airlines Max plane, increased scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration and allegations from current and former employees of poor workmanship and retaliation against whistleblowers.
Boeing’s settlement brings the total to $487.2 million, the Justice Department said, the maximum amount legally awarded for the fraud charge.
The deal also requires the company to invest at least $455 million to improve safety.
The case will be heard under court supervision for three years, and the Justice Department will appoint an independent monitor to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the terms of the settlement agreement.
Boeing’s board of directors will also speak with the victims’ families.