Barcelona to Chicago flight suffers two burst tyres during landing

American Airlines takes aircraft out of service after brake problems were reported on a flight carrying 245 people, with the FAA launching an investigation

An American Airlines flight from Barcelona to Chicago ended with an unexpected incident on Tuesday October 20, when two tyres burst as the aircraft landed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Flight AA41 had 234 passengers and 11 crew members on board when the problem occurred. The crew had alerted airport authorities to an issue with the brakes, raising concerns as the aircraft came in to land.

Despite the problem, passengers were able to leave the plane normally using the aircraft’s stairs once it had stopped. The incident prompted a response from the Chicago Fire Department, which confirmed that the aircraft had experienced brake difficulties.

One person was taken to hospital following the incident and was reported to be in good condition. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), however, said that no injuries had been recorded.

American Airlines has since withdrawn the aircraft from service while maintenance teams carry out an inspection to establish what happened.

The airline thanked its staff for their handling of the situation and apologised to passengers for the experience.

The FAA is now investigating the incident, including the reported brake problems and the two burst tyres. The findings should help establish what went wrong during the landing.

There was a similar incident at Chicago O’Hare in August, when another American Airlines plane suffered two burst tyres while landing after a flight from New York. That incident also led to an FAA investigation, although luckily nobody was reported injured.

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Image: CC/Mitchul Hope