14/03/2014 09:50
US Airways plane blows tire on takeoff
A US Airways plane blew a tire during takeoff Thursday evening at Philadelphia's airport, an airline spokesman said, with witnesses recalling seeing the plane "bounce" before screeching to a halt, CNN reported.
Citing initial reports, US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said the commercial airliner's pilot decided to abort takeoff after the tire issue. Philadelphia International Airport tweeted, and photos indicate, that the plane's nose gear collapsed.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said two women from the plane were transported to the city's Methodist Hospital, one with a minor injury and the other with a minor illness.
"This is a good time," Ayers said, referring to the response and the fact things turned out as well as they did. "It worked out alright."
Flight 1702 was scheduled to take off at 5:50 p.m. and arrive in Fort Lauderdale about three hours later, according to US Airways' website, though Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters said the incident took place around 6:25 p.m.
Firefighters spotted smoke coming from one engine, but no fire. Philadelphia Fire Department Deputy Chief Gary Loesch said crews sprayed "a protective foam blanket" around where "hydraulic fluid ... was leaking from the front landing gear," saying this was only done as a precaution.
Images from the airport afterward showed the plane pitched forward, but otherwise upright, and surrounded by flashing emergency vehicles. One showed the plane at a standstill as some people left from an emergency slide and others got out on the wing.
The incident caused significant travel headaches, and not just for those on Flight 1702. The airport noted there were departure delays of about one hour, with airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica saying arrival delays stretched up to two hours.