Passengers of American Airlines flight 590 destined for Phoenix were met with a daunting scenario on Wednesday when a tire on their aircraft caught fire just moments before takeoff in Tampa. The incident prompted an immediate cancellation of the flight, originally slated to depart at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time, as confirmed by WFLA.
The takeoff was aborted after the plane, speeding down the runway, experienced what passengers described as suddenly driving on a "gravel road." Quickly responding to the incident, Sheri Blankenship, accompanied by her granddaughter, counted themselves lucky to be unharmed, as per an interview with WFLA. “then It felt like we hit a big pothole in the road,” Blankenship recounted her experience during the initial moments of the emergency. Emergency responders addressed the fire shortly before 8 a.m., ensuring the safety of all 174 passengers and six crew members, who were then transported back to the terminal, according to USA Today.
Noteworthy in this unfolding was the vehicle’s landing gear, which became engulfed in fire. Blankenship and her granddaughter, after being stranded on the runway for around three hours, joined other passengers in a new journey to have their boarding passes redone, as Blankenship explained in a statement obtained by WFLA. Bussed to the terminal, they eventually boarded a different flight at about 11:30 a.m.
Despite the swift action by airport emergency services, the incident left some passengers hesitant to fly again. "I didn’t want to get on another plane," said Blankenship, mentioning she desired a credit to rent a car and drive to Phoenix instead. “It was very, very scary,” Blankenship added, illustrating the distress caused by such unexpected incidents. A video documenting the moment the tire exploded has been circulating, capturing the harrowing event as it took place, as reported by WESH.
American Airlines issued a statement regarding the mishap: "American Airlines flight 590 with service from Tampa (TPA) to Phoenix (PHX) experienced a mechanical issue on the runway prior to taking off. Customers safely deplaned and were bussed to the terminal. We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused." The company's concern for passenger inconvenience and their apologies were relayed by WFLA. Operations at Tampa International Airport were not impacted beyond this isolated event, ensuring that travel for other passengers continued with normalcy. No injuries were reported in the incident.
