American Airlines Boeing aborts takeoff in Tampa due to blown tires

The plane then exited the runway, where it was eventually met by fire trucks. American Airlines told Simple Flying that there were no injuries onboard the plane, which was carrying 174 passengers and six crew members. The issue involved some of the plane’s tires, and passengers were re-accommodated on a replacement flight from TPA that has since departed. An AA spokesperson said,

“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 aircraft involved in the incident is a 25-year-old Boeing 737-800 registered as N908AN. It was delivered to American in May 1999 and has accumulated more than 63,000 flight hours across 26,171 cycles as of January 31, 2024, per ch-aviation. It was operating flight AA590, a scheduled service from Tampa to Phoenix, with a departure time of 07:30 and an arrival of 08:49.

American Airlines flies a diverse fleet of aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus, and the Boeing 737s form a significant part of its narrowbody fleet. Per ch-aviation, the carrier has more than 300 737-800 aircraft and more than 60 737 MAX 8s. It also has more than 100 MAX 10s on order.

This isn’t the first time that an American Airlines aircraft has had a tire burst. In 2022, another one of the carrier’s Boeing 737 operating a flight from New York JFK to Phoenix had to abort its takeoff after suffering multiple burst tires.

In January, an Air Canada Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flying from London Heathrow (LHR) to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) burst some tires during takeoff. The aircraft returned to LHR after circling around to burn fuel and made a safe landing. The Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) notified the pilots about the issue, helping the crew make an informed decision.

Takeoffs aren’t the only time when something like this can happen. In 2023, a Southwest Boeing 737 suffered a blown tire upon landing, causing minor damage to the wing. The aircraft was on flight WN915 from Austin International Airport (AUS) to Orlando International Airport (MCO), and thankfully no injuries were reported.