CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - An aviation expert said tire shrapnel from a blown tire is the likely cause of the fire that damaged a plane on the runway at O’Hare Airport in Chicago.
Dr. John Hansman Jr., an aeronautics and astronautics engineering professor at MIT, said the black smoke seen coming from the plane appeared to be from a fuel fire.
“On takeoff, they blew a tire on the right side and the tire shrapnel probably damaged both the engine and the right fuel tank,” said Hansman.
Hansman said an investigation into what caused the fire will be done. Causes of the tire blowing could be anything from a foreign object on the runway to a locked brake.
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