American Airlines Plane Blows Tire and Catches Fire on Florida Runway
An American Airlines plane blew a tire upon takeoff and caught fire in Florida on Wednesday, marking the latest in a series of similar incidents.
The flight, which was departing from Tampa and headed to Phoenix, was delayed due to the “mechanical issue” on the runway right before takeoff, according to airline spokesman Alfredo Garduño. The issue involved the tires of a Boeing 737-800.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene just before 8 a.m. after receiving word that a tire had blown and caught fire, stated Tampa International Airport spokesman Joshua Gillin.
All 174 passengers and six crew members on board were safely deplaned and transported to the terminal by bus. No other flight operations were affected by the incident.
All passengers were rebooked on other flights to Phoenix.
“We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” Garduño said.