Atlas Air Boeing 747 Aborts Miami Takeoff Over Nose Gear Smoke, Forcing American Jet To Go Around

Credit: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock Published Oct 31, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT Luke has over a decade of experience as a travel writer and aviation analyst. As a passionate traveler based across the Middle East and Asia, Luke offers strong insights into the industry. Based in South East Asia. Sign in to your Simple Flying account An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 freighter rejected its takeoff from Miami International Airport (MIA) on Monday evening after air traffic control (ATC) spotted smoke coming from the aircraft during its takeoff roll. With the jumbo jet still on the runway, an inbound American Airlines Airbus A321neo cleared to land on the same runway was forced into a go-around. A controller initially told the Atlas Air pilots that the smoke was from its right engine, but later pinpointed the nose landing gear as the source. The 747 would eventually take off soon after, with the cause of the smoke remaining unclear. Smoke From Nose Gear Forces Atlas Air 747 To Abort Takeoff Credit: christianthiel.net | Shutterstock The 747-8F (registration N864GT) was operating Atlas Air flight 5Y8096 to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on Monday, October 26. ATC recordings from VASAviation show the 747 had been cleared to take off from MIA's Runway 8R. American Airlines flight AA2323 — arriving from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) — was then cleared to land on the same runway behind the departing 747, accompanied by a warning about wake turbulence. However, moments later, the controller radioed the 747, warning that there appeared to be smoke coming from its right engine, although it was later clarified as coming from the nose gear. The Atlas Air pilots immediately rejected takeoff before the American Airlines aircraft was told to go around by a controller. It is not yet known what caused the smoke, or how fast the 747 was traveling when the crew rejected the takeoff. Blocked Runway Impacted Other Flights Credit: Mulevich | Shutterstock Following the rejected takeoff, the Atlas Air 747 remained on Runway 8R, and the tower had to coordinate its removal while keeping other aircraft moving around it. The incident ultimately affected several other flights waiting to depart, prompting a controller to describe the situation as "an absolute mess." As for the American Airlines flight, flight tracking data shows that the A321neo touched down safely in Miami at 9:12 PM local time, having been forced to abandon its initial approach and circle back around. A short time later, the Atlas Air 747 departed Miami at 9:38 PM and landed in Houston at 11:00 PM. Its departure on Monday was already heavily delayed, with an initial morning departure of 9:05 AM pushed back by more than 12 hours. The reason for its delayed departure is not clear. Simple Flying contacted Atlas Air for comment on this incident, but a representative could not be reached before publication. About The Boeing 747-8 Freighter Involved N864GT is a 12-year-old 747-8F that flew for several years with AirBridgeCargo. It first flew in May 2014 and was delivered to the Russian cargo airline in November 2015 as VQ-BFU, before sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grounded AirBridgeCargo’s fleet in March 2022. It is one of three 747s at the airline repossessed by lessor BOC Aviation and subsequently placed with Atlas Air in 2024. Tracking data shows the jumbo flew from Houston to Frankfurt early on October 27, and has since experienced an unexpected diversion. On October 28, while operating flight 5Y8097 from Dammam to Hong Kong, the 747 diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Dubai. The reason for the diversion is not known, and there is no confirmation that it was connected to the earlier incident in Miami. Atlas Air is the world's largest 747 operator, with a fleet of 17 747-8 freighters alongside 48 747-400s. It is also the largest cargo operator at MIA, handling more than 500,000 tons of freight there each year. Earlier this week, Simple Flying reported that Atlas Air had painted three of its 747s with mustaches on their nose cones ahead of November.