Just days after a jet bridge collapsed and damaged a Hawaiian airlines plane at SFO, there has been another incident involving the Hawaii bellwether. This time was more serious, as it involved an emergency landing.
Hawaiian Airlines Flight 2 had an emergency landing on Monday.
The flight, onboard an Airbus A330-200 widebody, was traveling from Honolulu to Los Angeles, and made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Monday night. The aircraft landed successfully at around 10:40 p.m., following the declaration of an emergency due to a reported low tire pressure reading.
The plane landed without issue and the issue, related to a tire which needed to be changed prior to resuming service, was rectified. While it was also reported that emergency vehicles were present for the landing, there were no injuries reported as a result of the incident.
The same place, which is registered as N386HA, returned to service on Tuesday and is due to arrive momentarily in Honolulu.
This safe emergency landing underscores the good safety protocols in place that ensure that even potentially critical technical issues such as this are managed efficiently and safely, thus minimizing passenger and risk.
Aircraft tires need to withstand enormous loads and speeds, which means that proper inflation is essential in order to perform effectively and avoid the potential of a tire failure. Pilots are trained to treat any indications of tire pressure issues very seriously.
Declaring the emergency allowed the flight to receive priority handling from Los Angeles air traffic control. This means a flight can land more quickly. It also ensures that emergency services will be on standby as an added precaution.
Airlines have advanced systems and strict protocols for monitoring tires, like other critical aircraft systems. Advanced sensors provide real-time data to flight deck and the maintenance teams.
While a low tire pressure indication may not sound critical, it is and was treated with utmost seriousness. This incident involving Hawaiian Airlines Flight HA2 is a testament to the effective safety protocols in place, ensuring that even potential issues are managed proactively to maintain the highest safety standards. Kudos to Hawaiian Air.
I have been on a plane that blew 2 tires and one that blew 3 tires and yet here I am