American Airlines plane blows 2 tires at Chicago O'Hare Airport before takeoff; 4th incident in about 2 weeks
Another plane has blown its tires while taxiing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
American Airlines flight 3280 was taxing for departure at O'Hare when they blew two tires, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday afternoon.
The plane was headed for Charlotte, North Carolina around 1:35 p.m. A pilot on the aircraft behind them on the runway noticed that the plane's tires were "losing tread," and alerted Air Traffic Control, which then alerted the American pilots about the problem.
The flight's passengers deplaned using the stairs and were bused back to the terminal, the FAA said. No injuries were reported.
This is the fourth plane to blow its tires at O'Hare in the last two weeks. Last Monday, a United plane and a different American Airlines plane both popped tires upon landing at O'Hare within about three hours of each other.
The week before, a United Airlines flight headed to Phoenix had to abort its takeoff after blowing a tire as it taxied for departure.
American Airlines released a statement, writing, "Shortly after pushing back from the gate at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), American Airlines flight 3280 experienced a tire issue on the taxiway. Customers safely returned to the terminal and will re-depart shortly on a replacement aircraft. We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans and we apologize for the inconvenience this caused."
The FAA has launched investigations into each incident. CBS News Chicago has reached out to the Chicago Department of Aviation for more information and comment and are waiting to hear back.
