by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:20 AM ET, Wed January 24, 2024
On Saturday, January 20, Delta Air Lines Flight 982 lost a nose wheel while preparing for takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), prompting a deplaning and a new investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA notice about the incident said the flight was heading from Atlanta to El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia and was operated by a Boeing 757 plane. The passengers were deplaned and bussed back to the terminal, and headed to their destination on a different plane.
VASAviation, a YouTube channel dedicated to sharing air traffic control frequency conversations, published a video about the incident, in which a pilot on the flight could be heard saying to the air traffic control tower, “Tower, sounds like we’ve got a problem.”
A pilot on the plane behind Delta 982 responded, saying, “Delta 982, this is the aircraft looking at you. One of your nose tires just came off. It just rolled off the runway behind you.”
The recording shared that the plane sat on the runway for three hours before being towed away, and the specific runway had to be closed during those hours, causing a few delays. The tire was found in the safety area in the south shoulders, having rolled further than expected.
USA Today noted that the airplane is over 30 years old and was repaired and put back into service the day following the incident.
The incident follows the recent, larger investigations of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft following an Alaska Airlines flight in which the door panel ripped off in mid-flight, prompting emergency response and bringing greater scrutiny to Boeing and its safety and quality standards.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
