DHL Cargo Jet Bursts Into Flames at LAX
DHL Cargo Jet Bursts Into Flames at LAX
The News
A DHL cargo jet caught fire on the runway at Los Angeles International Airport late Wednesday after landing on a flight from Phoenix, with flames erupting from the rear landing gear as the plane slowed to a stop.
No injuries were reported.
Video obtained by a plane-spotting website and circulated online shows the aircraft touching down, then the rear tires bursting into flames moments later, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Timeline
The DHL jet lands at LAX after a flight from Phoenix.
Three loud pops echo across the tarmac, followed by flames and sparks near the rear landing gear, per the New York Post's account of the video.
The pilot radios air traffic control. Four rear tires are severely damaged.
Emergency crews douse the aircraft with water. Air traffic control tells other aircraft to temporarily avoid the runway.
Reactions
The pilot's radio call, captured in air traffic control audio, was blunt: "I don't know if we blew a tire, but it feels like the brakes locked up." The pilot also said the plane's anti-skid system was off.
LAX, the Los Angeles Fire Department and DHL had not responded to requests for comment as of publication.
What's Next
The cause of the apparent brake failure remains under investigation. Two questions are open: what made the brakes lock up with the anti-skid system off, and whether the runway disruption dents DHL's cargo operations at one of the country's busiest airports.
More
Cargo flights run heavy and land late, and blown tires on rollout are among the more common hard-landing failures — but a full fireball on an active LAX runway is not routine, and the footage is why this one traveled.
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