A DHL cargo jet’s rear tires erupted into flames as it landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday night. The plane kept rolling down the runway before slowing to a stop, and air traffic controllers told other aircraft to stay off that runway while emergency vehicles moved in.
Airline Videos footage
Footage from Airline Videos showed the jet touching down, then sending up white smoke from the rear tires seconds later. Three loud pops and flashes of light appeared around the tires after the front tires hit the ground, followed by flames. The aircraft continued down the runway as sparks and fire wrapped around the rear fuselage.
Water on the runway
Once the plane stopped, emergency vehicles arrived and began dousing it with water. One set of the rear tires appeared to burn. For other aircraft using the runway, the response meant a temporary change in routing while the fire was handled on the pavement.
Pilot’s brake warning
Inside the video, a pilot said, “I don’t know if we blew a tire but it feels like the brakes locked up,” capturing the one detail that still matters most to anyone watching the landing: whether the problem began with a tire failure or with the braking system. The footage points to both possibilities, but the source material does not settle which one started the fire.
The immediate practical takeaway is narrow but important for passengers and airport workers at Los Angeles International Airport: the aircraft came to a stop, the fire was met with water, and runway use was briefly altered while the incident was handled. The unanswered issue is what caused the rear tires to ignite in the first place.
