Jet Lands Safely After Apparently Blowing a Tire
An American Airlines jet returned safely to Los Angeles International Airport early Thursday morning after it was forced to make an emergency landing when it apparently blew a tire on takeoff.
There were no injuries among the 133 passengers and crew members on the flight, which was bound for Guadalajara.
In a statement from its Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters, American said: “After takeoff, a nose gear warning light indicated a potential problem, and an inspection of the runway showed evidence of a blown tire, which potentially then damaged the aircraft’s front landing gear.”
The MD-80 jet circled the ocean for about two hours to burn fuel and reduce its landing weight. Crash and fire rescue crews were dispatched but the jet made a routine landing at 3:33 a.m.
Just eight hours before, a SkyWest flight from Bakersfield to Los Angeles also landed safely after the loss of an electrical circuit, which then required the use of an electrical backup system. None of the 16 passengers and crew members aboard were injured.
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