Two workers were reportedly killed and one injured when a Boeing aircraft tire exploded at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US.
The Boeing 757-232 aircraft, owned by Delta Air Lines, had been undergoing maintenance at the Delta Technical Operations Maintenance (Delta TechOps) hangar since Sunday.
It is not yet known what caused the tire explosion. But according to FOX 5 Atlanta sources, the tire had been removed from the aircraft at the time.
According to local WSB-TV, the explosion “launched a piece of metal like a missile” and killed two employees instantly, while another was hospitalized with serious injuries.
The Clayton County Coroner's Office identified the victims as 58-year-old Mirko Marweg and 37-year-old Luis Aldarondo.
Delta TechOps President and Chief Operating Officer John Laughter confirmed the death of two team members.
“Unfortunately, two of our team members lost their lives and another team member was seriously injured during the incident,” Laughter said in a statement shared by the media.
The crew chief offered support to the families of the victims and promised an investigation into the incident.
Boeing has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years due to various defects in its airplanes. This has led to safety concerns and investigations into the planes. In the most recent incident, the company halted test flights of its 777X jetliner after inspections revealed failures in critical parts of three of its four test aircraft.
