United A320 & American 737 Both Blow Tires At O’Hare Within Hours Of Each Other

Published Aug 18, 2026, 12:21 AM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. Within mere hours of each other, two arriving aircraft at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) have seen their tires burst. The two incidents, which occurred in different parts of the airport, have seen both airplanes removed from service for the rest of the evening. American Airlines flight 386 had just landed from New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA), while United Airlines flight 739 had touched down in the Windy City from Omaha (OMA). According to initial reports by NBC Chicago, there were no reports of injuries to either passengers or crew on either aircraft. The American flight was met by emergency crews while passengers were deplaned and taken to the terminal by bus. For the United aircraft, passengers were also deplaned via airstairs before being shuttled to the terminal. AA386 Experienced A 'Tire Issue' Arrival From LaGuardia Credit: Shutterstock American was the first carrier to experience a tire burst on Monday, when the Boeing 737-800 had flown the short one-hour, 56-minute flight from LaGuardia. Operating as American flight 386, the jet had pushed back from LaGuardia at 1:02 PM, close to one hour behind its scheduled departure time of 12:11 PM. The service otherwise was uneventful and touched down at O'Hare at 1:59 PM local time. On arrival, the flight experienced a 'tire issue', and due to several concerns and following procedure, first responders were deployed to the aircraft, and passengers and crew were transported to the terminal by a shuttle bus. The plane, which has registration N844NN, has since been removed from service. Simple Flying reached out to American for comment on the incident and received the below response from an airline spokesperson: American Airlines flight 386 ​experienced ​a ​tire ​issue after ​landing safely ​at Chicago (ORD). Per procedure, first ​responders met the ​aircraft ​out ​of ​an ​abundance of caution ​and customers ​were ​transported ​safely to ​the terminal by ​bus. ​The ​aircraft has been taken out ​of ​service ​to ​be ​inspected ​by our ​maintenance ​team. ​We ​thank ​our team members ​for ​their ​professionalism and we ​apologize to our customers for ​their ​experience. UA739 Burst A Tire As It Touched Down From Omaha Credit: United Airlines United flight 739 had just flown the quick one-hour hop from Nebraska, having departed at 4:18 PM, also over an hour behind its scheduled departure time of 3:09 PM. The service, operated by an Airbus A320-200, landed at 5:22 PM, 22 minutes behind its scheduled arrival time of 5:00 PM, when its tire burst as the plane exited the runway. The 20-year-old A320, which carries registration N4901U, has been confirmed to Simple Flying by United to have sustained tire damage, which forced its customers to be deplaned via the airstairs and shuttled back to the terminal by bus. United has confirmed no injuries, and the plane was carrying a total of 126 occupants: 121 customers and five crew. The carrier's statement below: After arriving at Chicago O’Hare, United flight 739 sustained tire damage. Customers deplaned via airstairs and buses took them back to the terminal. While it is strange that both aircraft encountered similar tire issues on arrival in Chicago, there is no correlation that either incident is related to the other, with the airport confirming it has checked for debris and that the incidents occurred in different parts of the airport grounds. Aircraft Details: N844NN And N4901U Credit: Shutterstock As already mentioned, both aircraft following the incidents have been removed from scheduled service for the rest of the day and are expected to return to service once the tires have been replaced. According to Flightradar24, which may not yet be updated, the American jet will fly to Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) on Tuesday morning as AA1121, while United's aircraft is planned to operate to Dallas (DFW) as UA528, also tomorrow morning. Both jets have been loyal workhorses with close to two decades' worth of experience. Using data from ch-aviation, the American plane is some 16 years old and has operated solely for the carrier since July 2010. The Airbus for United was received from China Southern in 2006, but otherwise has been operating for more than two decades between the two airlines. Further characteristics below: Aircraft Registration N844NN N4901U Serial Number (MSN) 33212 2680 Flight Number AA386 UA739 Origin / Destination LaGuardia (LGA) to Chicago (ORD) Omaha (OMA) to Chicago (ORD) First Flight Date June 25, 2010 January 23, 2006 Delivery Date July 16, 2010 February 11, 2006 (China Southern) June 20, 2018 (United Airlines) Configuration 16 Domestic First, 156 Main Cabin 12 Domestic First, 138 Main Cabin When a tire bursts on an aircraft, it can create loud noise, shaking, and potential damage to the landing gear. As planes have multiple wheels, pilots are trained to maintain control and slowly come to a stop.