An Alaska Airlines plane blew a tire while taking off from Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Thursday and was forced to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles.
Passengers braced for a rough ride but the Boeing 737-900 ultimately landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), its scheduled final destination, just after 8 p.m. local time. The 175 passengers and six crew members on board were not hurt.
The airline says Flight 309 experienced a main gear tire failure.
Dulles officials were notified about debris on the runway about 6:10 p.m. and removed what appeared to be the remnants of a plane tire, a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson said in a statement. They added the pilots didn’t declare an emergency or return to Dulles.
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As a precaution, pilots radioed an emergency landing to have extra support ready during arrival at LAX, Alaska Airlines said in a statement. Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and said no one was injured.
Was just on an #AlaskaAir flight from Dulles to #LAX that blew a tire on takeoff so we had to do an emergency landing in LA. It was a bit scary but we landed ok. Bus full of school kids was chanting "heads down, stay down" pic.twitter.com/IXPuaPkmmw
— Cancer Final Girl (@CancerFinalGirl) November 15, 2024
Video shared on social media shows passengers in the bracing position – with heads down and arms on the seats in front of them – while some chant, “heads down, stay down.” The video shows low lighting in the cabin.
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The plane taxied to its gate without any other issues, an LAX spokesperson said.
Alaska Airlines says it will take the aircraft out of service while it investigates.
“While this incident is a rare occurrence, our flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios. We understand this might have been a concerning moment for our guests on board,” Alaska Airlines’ statement said.
