Two Killed in Delta Aircraft Tire Explosion

The incident occurred early Tuesday morning at the airline's Atlanta maintenance facility.

A Delta 757-200 undergoes maintenance at the carrier’s Atlanta TechOps facility. [Courtesy: AirlineGeeks/ William Derrickson]

Two people were killed and one injured early Tuesday morning in a reported tire explosion at Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta maintenance facility, the airline confirmed.

According to WSB-TV, one Delta employee and a contractor were killed as they were removing the tire.

Another airline employee was seriously injured as a result of the incident. In a statement to the news outlet, Delta confirmed the report.

“The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of two team members and the injury of another following an incident this morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility (TOC 3),” a Delta spokesman said. “We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time…The Delta family is grateful for the quick action of first responders and medical teams on site. We are now working with local authorities and conducting a full investigation to determine what happened.”

Few details are available as to what caused the incident. The involved aircraft is reportedly registered as N683DA, a 31-year-old Boeing 757-200 that had just flown from Las Vegas to Atlanta on Sunday evening.


Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

Ryan Ewing

Ryan is Sr. Director of Digital for Firecrown's Aviation Group. In 2013, he founded AirlineGeeks.com, a leading trade publication covering the airline industry. Since then, his work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the airline industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Previously, he worked for a Part 135 operator and later a major airline. Ryan is also an Adjunct Instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Pilot in aircraft
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