An Alaska Airlines plane was forced to abort takeoff at Nashville International Airport in Tennessee after a Southwest Airlines flight was cleared to cross from the same runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Alaska Airlines Flight 369 was headed to Seattle on Thursday morning and had received clearance to take off from air traffic control, the airline said in a statement, when Southwest Airlines Flight 2029 was cleared to cross the end of the same runway, the FAA said.
The Alaska pilots had to brake so hard and fast that the tires on their plane blew out, the airline said.
The crew was able to get the plane off the runway and close to the terminal, but the tires deflated “due to heat buildup from the rapid stop on the runway, as designed,” Alaska said.
All 176 passengers safely got off and reached the terminal, the airline said. It said it sent another plane to Nashville to take them to Seattle on Thursday night.
Six crew members were also on board, Alaska said, and maintenance technicians in Nashville were inspecting the aircraft.
“We’re grateful for the expertise of our pilots who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating,” Alaska said. “We’re deeply sorry for the concerning experience this created for our guests and crew members.”
No one was injured, the airline said.
“Our pilots train for these situations, and they handled the situation expertly,” it said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Southwest said it is in contact with the FAA and the NTSB and will “participate in the investigation.”
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees,” it said in a statement.
