United plane blows tire on takeoff from Newark, continues flying

26th February 2018

United Airlines domestic flight from Newark, New Jersey to Portland, Oregon, blew a tire during takeoff late on February 25, 2018. The airplane continued its flight and landed safely, officials said.

United said the plane, a Boeing 737, blew one of its tires on takeoff from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey, and alerted Portland International Airport (PDX), Oregon.

Flight 1551 landed safely and without incident at PDX around 10:30 p.m. local time, as emergency responders stood by on the air strip, officials said. The plane was then towed to a gate and passengers deplaned normally. There were no reported injuries.

One passenger, Mateo Agemo, told local KATU news they were told at the beginning of the flight there may be an issue with the wheel, but that the plane should land properly. According to him, once they landed, the back of the plane did not feel stable. The crew told passengers in the back would have to move to the front of the plane if something were to happen.

Another passenger on the flight, Kyle Hobbs, also told the news channel that “It was scary when we took off, the whole plane shook and then about 90 minutes before we landed, the crew got us together, took us through how to brace, moved some elderly people around in case they needed help, and moved some luggage around, and then we came home.”

This is yet another United aircraft incident involving Newark Airport and blown out tires. On November 26, 2017, a United Flight 961 plane blew out several tires during landing. The Boeing 777-222 was landing at the same Newark Airport in New Jersey on a flight from Frankfurt, Germany when the plane “experienced tire issues”, NBC news reported at the time.

United Airlines commercial aircraft have experienced several hiccups recently. A United Flight 878, bound from Houston to Minneapolis, skidded off a runway during landing at Green Bay-Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) in Wisconsin, U.S., in the early hours on February 23, 2018, after being diverted twice due to severe weather. The Boeing 737-900 was carrying roughly 160 passengers onboard. There were no injuries reported.

Earlier this month, on February 13, 2018, a United Flight 1175, flying over the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco, was forced to make emergency landing in Honolulu, Hawaii, after a piece of the plane’s engine cover broke off mid-flight, less than an hour before the plane was set to land at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu. The Boeing 777, carrying 363 passengers and 10 crew members, landed safely.

Source – AeroTime