On Tuesday, August 27th, a tragic incident occurred at a Delta Air Lines maintenance facility near the Atlanta airport in Georgia, USA. Two workers lost their lives, and one worker was seriously injured due to an airplane tire explosion.
According to reports from the Associated Press, Delta Air Lines is cooperating with local authorities to investigate the accident at the maintenance facility.
Local news station WSB-TV in Atlanta reported that several anonymous sources revealed that the explosion was caused by a tire on an airplane.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Atlanta police and fire departments arrived at the maintenance hangar near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport shortly after 5 am. Flights in and out of the airport were not affected by the incident.
Delta Air Lines released a statement saying, “This morning, an accident occurred at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility, resulting in the loss of two team members and one member sustaining injuries. The Delta Air Lines family is deeply saddened by this tragedy.”
“In this extremely difficult time, we are providing full support to the families and colleagues,” the statement continued.
Delta Air Lines also expressed gratitude to the emergency responders and medical teams.
The Atlanta-based airline company stated, “We are currently collaborating with local authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine what happened.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that they are in contact with Delta Air Lines, requesting more information about the incident. Eric Lucero, a spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), mentioned that the agency has initiated an investigation.
The explosion occurred at a facility of Delta Air Lines’ TechOps department, which provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for Delta Air Lines and over 150 aviation industry and airline customers worldwide.
John Laughter, President of Delta Air Lines TechOps and Executive Vice President, detailed in a staff communication that the company will provide counseling services for employees.
He said, “We are in this together, and we will get through this challenging time by supporting each other.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens expressed condolences to the families of the victims on social media platform X.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) called on authorities and Delta Air Lines to “promptly conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of this incident.”