Alaska flight to west coast aborts takeoff, blows tires to avoid runway collision

Pilots aboard an Alaska Airlines flight were forced to abort their takeoff and come to a screeching halt, blowing the aircraft’s tires, Thursday morning after a Southwest flight was cleared to cross near the end of the same runway in an incident the Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating.

The crew of Alaska flight 369 was cleared for takeoff by air traffic control at Nashville International Airport at around 9:15 a.m., bound for Seattle, when the incident occurred.

“We are grateful for the expertise of our pilots who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement. “Our pilots train for these situations and they handled the situation expertly.”

The airline added that the crew taxied off the runway toward the terminal where the tires on the aircraft deflated due to the buildup of heat during the rapid stop.

The aircraft’s tires, according to Alaska, are designed to do just that.

No injuries among the 176 passengers and six crew members aboard the plane were reported.

“Our guests deplaned and made their way safely into the terminal,” the airline’s statement read. “We’re deeply sorry for the concerning experience this created for our guests and crew members.”

While maintenance technicians in Nashville inspected the aircraft, Alaska deployed another aircraft to the airport to carry passengers on to Seattle.

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