Two people are dead and one person is injured after a tire on a Delta plane exploded at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The tire explosion killed one Delta employee and one contractor and a second Delta employee was also injured.
The incident happened early Tuesday morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility, which is connected to the airport.
Atlanta police department Maj Kelley Collier told reporters that emergency crews responded to a call about a tire explosion at the airport’s technical operations maintenance facility at about 5am.
According to flight records, the three were working on a Boeing 757 jet that arrived from Las Vegas on Sunday night.
Delta was cooperating with local authorities and “conducting a full investigation to determine what happened”, the company said in a statement.
“The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of two team members and the injury of another following an incident this morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility (TOC 3),” the Atlanta-based airline said in a statement. “We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.”
“The Delta family is grateful for the quick action of first responders and medical teams on site,” the statement continued. “We are now working with local authorities and conducting a full investigation to determine what happened.”
The explosion has not impacted airport operations, a spokesperson for the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International is the world’s busiest airport. The travel hub reported more than 104 million passengers in 2023.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also issued a statement on the incident.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased Delta employees,” he said.
“My thoughts are also with those who were injured, and I hope for their swift and full recovery,” he continued. “AFRD, APD, and HJAIA teams are on the scene, working diligently to address the situation.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), a union that says it represents more than 100,000 airline workers across the US, said the group’s members also wanted a full inquiry into Tuesday’s deaths.
“As a union dedicated to the well-being and safety of our members and the broader community, we will offer our resources to all those impacted by this tragic event,” the organization said. “We stand in unity with Delta workers during this difficult time and we call on Delta and the relevant authorities to quickly launch a thorough investigation into how this happened.”
The identities of the dead workers were given as: Mirko Marweg, 58, and Luis Aldarondo Jr, 37.
The tragedy comes just months after a Delta plane flying out of the same airport lost the nose tire as it attempted to take off.
The Boeing 757 was set to take off from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta to Bogota, Colombia in January but was delayed because of the incident.
According to the FAA, the nose wheel came off and rolled down the hill as during the line up and wait to take off.
It also marks the latest in a string of concerning incidents involving Boeing plants.
Just last month, a Boeing 737 suddenly plummeted to less than 500 feet off the ground over Oklahoma, terrifying residents who feared the jet was going to crash.
One of the more scary incidents involved a door plug blowing out on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 at 16,000 feet this January.
Boeing executives last month accepted a $243.6 million plea deal that would see the company avoid a criminal trial over two deadly 737 Max crashes.
Under the agreement, Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from the fatal crashes in Indonesia in October 2018 and in Ethiopia less than five months later that killed a combined 346 people.