San Diego-bound flight from Atlanta blows tire, causing engine damage: FAA
The flight, which had more than 170 people on board between passengers and crew, continued on to its destination despite the damage to the right tire of the left strut and adjacent engine, per an FAA preliminary incident notice.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said their flight and maintenance technicians determined it was safe to continue to San Diego, but declared an emergency landing at San Diego International Airport as a precaution to ensure additional support was available.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-900, landed without incident and was taken out of service by the airline shortly after for maintenance.
San Diego's airport now accepts mobile drivers' licenses at TSA security
The extent of the damage to the aircraft is unknown at this time, as well as what caused the tire to pop.
'While this incident is a rare occurrence, our flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios. We apologize for any concern this experience may have caused,' the Alaska Airlines spokesperson added.
Aircraft tire bursts are relatively rare, but are more likely during takeoff than in landing, according to the aircraft engineering company Aeropeep. The probability of a tire burst as a plane is lifting off is about one in 10,000, as opposed to one in 100,000 in landing.
Redundancy in landing equipment and strict maintenance of the aircraft can help with managing blowouts, but Aeropeep notes it can still pose a safety risk to its occupants as it can lead to bigger issues.
This was the case in the deadly crash of Air France Flight 4590 back in 2000, which killed 113 people. The French government's investigation into the incident concluded the crash was caused by a rupture of the fuel tank after the plane ran over debris, triggering a tire blowout.
With this safety risk in mind, pilots say flights that experience a blown tire during takeoff will either abort or return to land for an inspection once it becomes known a tire is compromised.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
19 hours ago
- Forbes
Why NASCAR's 2026 Cup Schedule Feels More Like Refinement Than Reinvention
The wait is over. NASCAR released the 2026 schedules for its top three touring series Wednesday and while 2025 was a year of surprises, 2026 looks more like a year of refinement—trading international flair and big experiments for a reshuffled deck of classics, a new San Diego street race on a Navy base, and the long-awaited return of North Wilkesboro as a full points-paying stop. The stops include tracks where there some winners, losers, and some odd choices of dates. Yes, North Wilkesboro gets a race that actually means something, its first points-paying race since 1996, but at the expense of Dover Motor Speedway a storied track in the annuals of the sport. NASCAR has raced at the 1-mile concrete oval in the First State since 1969 when Richard Petty became the first winner. The track held two races a season until 2021 when it lost a date to Nashville Superspeedway. Next season, Dover's lone date becomes the All-Star Race, which, outside of a hefty check, means very little in the bigger picture. But Dale Earnhardt Jr., who helped resurrect North Wilkesboro, isn't complaining. "You know I'm a big believer in the value of short track racing and its history in our sport, so to me this is the biggest news on the 2026 schedule," he said. Meanwhile Dover reached out to a politician for part of its response. 'Hosting the NASCAR All-Star Race at The Monster Mile is a win for Delaware's economy and tourism industry,' said Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer. 'In 2026, as we celebrate America's 250th anniversary, fans from across the globe will come here for the thrill of race weekend, discovering our beaches, history, and hospitality along the way.' Ending by dropping a line straight out of Talladega Nights: 'And take it from the First State: if you're not first, you're last!' And take it from the First State: if you're not first, you're last!' In another curious move, Watkins Glen International, the famous road course long a summer staple, shifts to Mother's Day. Traditionally that date was reserved for tracks on life support, a last chance before the axe. And in upstate New York, May doesn't guarantee sunshine. Snow isn't unheard of, meaning fans might be swapping T-shirts for mittens. Other shuffles include Atlanta, er, 'EchoPark' Speedway, swapping dates with Sonoma. The spring Darlington race moves earlier, replacing Homestead's spring slot—Homestead in turn closes the season a move we already knew. Speaking of returns, NASCAR heads back to Chicagoland Speedway in 2026. The Joliet oval lost its date when the pandemic scrapped the 2020 season, and when the 2021 schedules were revealed, it was quietly left behind after hosting Cup races since 2001. It was already well known that NASCAR's trip outside the States to Mexico wasn't going to be happening, and that date is replaced by Pocono. The former Pocono date will belong to San Diego the race held on the streets of a Navy base that made news when it was announced a few weeks ago. Speaking of street races, NASCAR will return to Chicago, not to race on that city's streets but in 2026 but at Chicagoland Speedway. The 1.5-mile oval in Joliet was left behind when the pandemic cancelled races everywhere in 2020, and when the 2021 schedules were revealed, the speedway was left behind after hosting NASCAR since 2001. The overall structure of the Playoffs remains featuring the same familiar mix and will end at Homestead-Miami for the first time since 2019. At the end of it all, there is no real 'wow' in the 2026 schedule. It's a little Southern California sun, a little more nostalgia, and no need for a passport. As always, some fans will hate it, some will love it, still others won't care. But come 2026 at Bowman-Gray Stadium the preseason Clash will kick off the season and at the end of it all a champion will be crowned. For those haters bemoaning the schedule for next year. As NASCAR has displayed in the last few years the schedules are no longer sealed in concrete, but more a Spotify playlist—one year it's classic rock, the next it's EDM, and we are all just along for the ride.
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Is Range Anxiety Still Holding Back Green Road Trips After Three Decades?
'Range anxiety' is the fear of running out of battery charge before reaching a destination or a charging station. It is a term first reported in the San Diego Business Journal on September 1, 1997, by Richard Acello to describe the worries of GM EV1 drivers, General Motors' first mass-produced electric vehicle. Does 'range anxiety' still exist? If yes, how can a fear that emerged nearly three decades ago still linger when so much has changed since then? Is Range Still The Real Barrier? Road trips remain central to the American travel experience, with more than 75% of adults (roughly 196 million people) planning to hit the road this summer, according to The Vacationer's latest survey data. While almost 42% will opt for shorter drives of under 250 miles, less than 20% intend to travel beyond 500 miles. About 6% said they will drive more than 1,000 miles from home. In 1997, the range of the GM EV1 was around 70–100 miles per charge, depending on driving conditions and battery type. Nearly three decades later, technological progress has transformed the equation. Advances in battery chemistry and efficiency now make long road trips feasible in electric cars. Take Polestar 3, for example, offering a long-range single-motor variant with up to 438 miles of range (WLTP), said Matt Galvin, managing director of Polestar UK, in an email interview. Is The Charging Network Ready For Green Road Trips? As of August 15, the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center counted 80,296 electric vehicle charging stations, an almost 25% increase from 2023, offering 246,670 ports nationwide, which is up over 40% in the same period. Tim Williamson, joint managing director of Responsible Travel and an EV owner himself, told me in an email interview that the biggest barrier remains charging, particularly access to fast chargers. While more units are appearing at highway rest stops, he believes the real breakthrough will come when hotels invest in this. "Premium chains, he added, could even differentiate themselves by including EV charging as a standard amenity. I'd like to see that in the near future," he said. Dan Yates, founder of an online booking platform for campgrounds, caravan parks, and glamping sites, shared a similar prognosis with me in an email interview, that 'eventually, the majority of campgrounds will recognize the business opportunity in offering electric vehicle charging points, and coverage will become more widespread. Overnight charging is especially convenient for campers and can generate additional revenue for campground owners.' already lets users filter results based on whether a campground offers EV charging points, making it easier for drivers to plan road trips with overnight charging built in. Williamson also pointed to the lack of consistency across networks since 'there are many charging providers and all running slightly different chargers with different power and requiring a different app and payment setup.' He noted the absence of a common standard or coordination, adding to fears of long queues, limited options, or charging points being out of service. Shelley Marmor, a travel advisor at also explained in an email interview that the core issue is that only about 25% of charging points are Level 3 rapid chargers. The cost is $30,000 for a single rapid charger compared with $500 to $1,500 for a Level 2 unit. "The price difference is slowly shrinking as the mass production of rapid chargers increases and more efficient technology becomes available," she added. That shift matters because faster chargers directly address another common misconception: that EV charging always takes hours. Gavin from Polestar noted that the brand's latest models support 200-kW DC fast charging, cutting charging time from 10% to 80% to just 28–30 minutes. "Even at highway speeds, the driver will likely need to stop for a comfort break before the car runs out of charge," he added. Is Range Anxiety More About Psychology Than Technology? "The hardest part for most people is a basic need for predictability," says Dr. Daniel Glazer, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of U.S. Therapy Rooms. With gas cars, a fuel gauge moves at a pace the brain can track, and stations are familiar landmarks, which both signals that create an internal script of safety. However, "With an electric car, battery charge is just a number on a screen. That is more abstract, so the brain has to simulate risk instead of sensing it directly, which keeps the body slightly on edge," he said. Glazer adds that many prospective owners fall into "worst-case anchoring," assuming rare stories of batteries failing in winter or on steep climbs are common risks. It results in a pessimistic forecast, much like how nervous flyers overestimate the danger of turbulence, even though statistically it is rare. "Each trip that ends without a problem helps the brain update its threat response," Glazer said. However, early bad experiences can leave a lasting imprint. For most drivers, the anxiety fades once they have enough smooth journeys. Will Range Anxiety Ever Disappear? So if range anxiety has outlived the EV1 and decades of innovation, will it finally fade as technology and infrastructure catch up, or is it destined to remain part of the electric road trip experience due to psychological reasons? "As EV adoption starts to approach the mass market, and driver education and charging solutions become much better, the misconceptions are starting to fade away. Those that remain seem to be from people who have yet to properly experience an EV," said Jason Simpson, CEO of RAW Charging, a leading EV charging destination provider in the United Kingdom. Gavin from Polestar believes range anxiety is officially a thing of the past. He shared that 'Polestar is monitoring trends when it comes to range anxiety. 97% of people who buy an EV say they will never go back to a petrol, diesel or hybrid – a telling statistic which shows almost all people who make the switch are not experiencing the phenomenon.' Indeed, numbers tell something similar. Electric vehicle sales in the U.S. hit a record 607,089 units in the first half of 2025, up 1.5% year over year, according to Cox Automotive's Kelley Blue Book.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
NASCAR makes San Diego splash in 2026 with race at Naval Base Coronado
NASCAR's Ben Kennedy details the sport's inaugural visit to Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, where the Craftsman Truck Series, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and Cup Series will race June 19-21, 2026.
