A United Airlines Boeing 737-900 blew two tires on its right main landing gear during a takeoff roll at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Thursday, forcing the crew to abort and triggering a runway closure while crews cleared debris. The O’Hare tire burst left no injuries among the 161 passengers and six crew members aboard, but it disrupted operations at one of the country’s busiest airports for much of the afternoon.
United Flight 455, bound for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, was accelerating down the runway around 1:45 p.m. Thursday when the tires failed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The crew rejected the takeoff and brought the Boeing 737-900 to a stop on the runway.
Pilot Describes O’Hare Tire Burst Debris on Runway
Air traffic control audio captured a nearby pilot describing the scene. “We saw lots of chunks of tire going down the runway,” the pilot said, according to a recording reported by ABC News. Rescue personnel confirmed two blown tires on the aircraft’s right main landing gear. The flight crew told emergency responders that everyone on board was uninjured.
Scattered tire fragments on an active runway pose a classic foreign object debris hazard. Loose rubber and metal can damage engines or airframes on later flights, so airports typically halt runway operations for an inspection and sweep whenever a tire failure leaves debris behind.
Passengers deplaned the 737-900 using stairs positioned on the runway, then were bused to the terminal. Airlines use this method when a disabled aircraft blocks normal gate access. United said it arranged another aircraft to carry the Phoenix-bound passengers later Thursday.
Delays Rippled Across O’Hare
The disabled aircraft’s presence on the runway backed up traffic across the airport. Flights into O’Hare saw average delays of about 25 minutes as of 3:50 p.m., according to NBC News. The FAA attributed the slowdown to the disabled aircraft and said it is investigating the cause of the tire failure.
United confirmed in a statement issued around 4 p.m. that it was arranging alternate transportation for the affected passengers. The airline did not immediately specify a cause for the blown tires.
Part of a Recurring Pattern
Tire failures during takeoff or landing are among the most common sources of runway FOD worldwide. A burst tire can shed rubber and steel-belt fragments across hundreds of feet of pavement in seconds. The O’Hare incident follows a similar tire-burst event involving a Kenya Airways flight at Cape Town International Airport earlier this month, underscoring how often main-gear failures force runway closures on multiple continents.
The Boeing 737-900 is a low-wing, twin-engine narrow-body airliner and the largest member of Boeing’s 737 Next Generation family, seating up to around 180 passengers in a typical configuration. Its main landing gear, like that of other 737 variants, retracts into the wing-to-fuselage fairing and carries two tires per side.
No mechanical cause has yet been confirmed for Thursday’s failure. Investigators will likely examine maintenance records, tire pressure and wear data, and runway surface conditions at the time of the takeoff roll.
Sources
- ABC News: United flight aborts takeoff at Chicago O’Hare due to blown tires
- NBC News: United passengers deplane on O’Hare runway after tire blows during takeoff
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