Summary
- A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX blew a tire on landing in Seattle, causing a delay for passengers but no injuries.
- The incident didn’t disrupt other flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
- United Airlines has a big fleet of 737 MAX 9s and recently placed a significant order for brand new aircraft to modernize its fleet.
A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX blew a tire on landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) at 11:30 am on Tuesday. The incident took place on flight UA450, which had taken off from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) slightly below 4 hours earlier, and was being operated by one in all the carrier’s Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
There have been no reports of any injuries among the many 176 passengers and 6 crew members onboard. Nonetheless, reports suggest that the passengers waited on the aircraft for as much as two hours after landing before buses arrived to take them to the terminal constructing.
Photo: The Global Guy / Shutterstock
The aircraft has since been towed away for repairs, and, on the time of writing, continues to be on the bottom in Seattle some 12 hours after the incident. Following the burst tire, the 737 MAX 9 moved off the runway onto one in all Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s taxiways, meaning that it didn’t cause any operational delays to other flights on the airport.
Local news outlet, KOMO News, took to X (formerly often known as Twitter) to share a photograph of the incident:
Competition on the Chicago – Seattle route
United Airlines flies thrice per day between its Chicago hub and Seattle – two of the flights are operated by the 737-900ER, and one by the 737 MAX 9. The carrier faces competition on what’s the seventh-busiest domestic route out of Seattle from Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Southwest Airlines also flies between Seattle and its hub at Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW).
Photo: Ian Dewar Photography / Shutterstock
The 737 MAX 9 involved in Tuesday’s incident is registered as N37507 and was delivered recent to United Airlines in September 2018. Data from flight tracking website FlightRadar24.com shows that before operating flight UA450, the aircraft had flown to Chicago from Cleveland (CLE) as flight UA238. It spent over two hours on the bottom in Chicago, before departing for Seattle at 09:46 am.
United Airlines and the Boeing 737 MAX
In keeping with ch-aviation.com, United Airlines currently has 74 737 MAX 9s in its fleet, each seating a complete of 179 passengers in a two-class configuration – 20 in business class and 159 in economy class. These are along with 63 737 MAX 8s, making United Airlines the second-largest operator of the 737 MAX series, behind Southwest Airlines. Next yr, the carrier will begin to receive the primary of 294 737 MAX 10s, making it the launch customer for the kind.
Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock
United Airlines hit the headlines on Tuesday when it confirmed a large order for 110 aircraft, including 50 787s and 60 Airbus A321neo. The aircraft will arrive between 2028 and 2031, replacing the carrier’s aging 757s and 767s as a part of its ongoing fleet modernization program. United Airlines’ 767-300ERs, for instance, have a mean age of 27.6 years old.
Have you ever experienced a burst tire or an analogous incident while traveling? How was the situation handled by the airline? Did it cause disruption to your journey? Tell us by commenting below.