What Causes An Airplane Tire To Explode?

Airplane tires may typically be smaller than truck tires, but despite bearing far more weight at much higher speeds (for comparably shorter amounts of time) they're typically quite durable. In fact, even with all that stress they're under, airplane tires generally don't explode. However, if they ever do, the results can be exceptionally dangerous.

In August 2024, Atlanta Journal-Constitution photojournalist John Spink reported on a tire blowout that occurred in the maintenance area of an Atlanta, GA based Delta Air Lines facility. The sheer amount of force behind this blowout flung a piece of metal across the maintenance space, which unfortunately resulted in the loss of two people — a Delta employee and a contractor — while also injuring a third.

Tire failures such as this don't happen often with airplanes, because regulations require them to be designed to withstand four times their pressure rating for three seconds or more. But even the most sturdy components can wear out over time.

Much like the need to wash airplanes regularly, as an act of maintenance to prevent problems down the line, these tires need to be replaced. Tires of all shapes and sizes, belonging to any number of vehicles, accrue damage over time. Extreme conditions can certainly speed the process up, but regular use will eventually weaken them and eventually those tires will fail.

Delta itself has not provided a statement on the precise cause, but a weakening of materials due to wear and tear seems most likely. It's possible (though not confirmed) that the tire had some sort of manufacturing defect that created a structural weakness. There's also a chance that something the aircraft rolled over during takeoff or landing caused some unforeseen damage.

These structural weaknesses tend to become a problem while the tire is under stress (i.e. the plane is in motion on the ground). However, in this particular instance, the aircraft is reported to have been undergoing maintenance and the tire wasn't actually attached to it. Rather, it exploded while being prepared for transport.

Unless and until Delta releases any details, the most likely explanation is that some part of the process inadvertently pushed an unnoticed structural weakness to the breaking point. And the resulting explosion was so strong because of the large amount of pressure these tires usually contain.

As mentioned before, tires can unexpectedly explode regardless of the vehicle they're attached to. In July 2024, an American Airlines plane suffered a blowout during takeoff. A similar event occurred earlier in the year when a different American Airlines jetliner blew a tire while taxiing after landing.

This doesn't necessarily mean you're at any greater risk when flying, however. Tire blowouts can be dangerous, however in most cases pilots and crews have been able to avoid disastrous outcomes. As always, statistically, flying is still safer than driving. That said, airplane tires are more likely to encounter problems like this while the plane is carrying passengers due to the extra weight. In these situations, a blowout like this would certainly result in a flight delay and transfer to a different aircraft, at best.

Really, though, the bigger risk from airplanes is to the ground and maintenance crews. Their closer proximity to so many large, complicated, intricate, and often dangerous parts require constant mindfulness and safe practices. However, even then, unexpected accidents can happen. There's only so much any of us can plan for, and only so many things we can do to mitigate risk. Some things are always going to be out of our hands.