An American Airlines plane departing from Tampa, Florida, suddenly aborted takeoff on Wednesday after a tire burst, emitting flames and smoke, seconds before departure.
The accident happened Wednesday morning at Tampa International Airport. The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 174 passengers and six crew members and was scheduled to take off just before 8 a.m. for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona.
The video shows sparks and smoke suddenly appearing near the tires as the plane speeds down the runway, and a trail of smoke and flames can be seen rising from the plane as the pilot aborts the takeoff.
In the video, flight spotter Capt. Steven Markovich can be heard yelling, “Emergency! Emergency! Emergency! Fire!”
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All passengers were reportedly able to escape the plane without injury.
American Airlines spokesman Ethan Clapper said the plane Tampa Bay Times Explained as a “mechanical issue related to a tire prior to takeoff.”
“The guest safely deplaned and was transported by bus to the terminal,” Clapper said. “We never want to disrupt any of our guests’ travel plans and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
Boeing has been under scrutiny for months for ongoing problems and this isn’t the only recent tire-related incident: in July a Boeing plane carrying 174 passengers lost a tire in mid-air before taking off from Los Angeles International Airport.
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The plane, a United Airlines Boeing 757-200, landed safely in Denver, Colorado despite the incident.
Similarly, in March, a tire came off after takeoff from San Francisco on a Boeing 777-200 with 249 passengers on board. The flight, originally headed to Japan, was forced to divert but landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport.
In May, a Boeing 737 had to make an emergency landing and return to Fukuoka Airport in Japan after experiencing problems with a wing flap.
