United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 Suffers Tire Damage On Landing In Seattle

A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX blew a tire on landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) at 11:30 am on Tuesday. The incident took place on flight UA450, which had taken off from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) just under four hours earlier, and was being operated by one of the carrier’s Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

There were no reports of any injuries among the 176 passengers and six crew members onboard. However, reports suggest that the passengers waited on the aircraft for up to two hours after landing before buses arrived to take them to the terminal building.

Photo: The Global Guy / Shutterstock

The aircraft has since been towed away for repairs, and, at the time of writing, is still on the ground in Seattle some 12 hours after the incident. Following the burst tire, the 737 MAX 9 moved off the runway onto one of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s taxiways, meaning that it did not cause any operational delays to other flights at the airport.

Local news outlet, KOMO News, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share a photo of the incident:

Competition on the Chicago – Seattle route

United Airlines flies three times per day between its Chicago hub and Seattle – two of the flights are operated by the 737-900ER, and one by the 737 MAX 9. The carrier faces competition on what is the seventh-busiest domestic route out of Seattle from Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Southwest Airlines also flies between Seattle and its hub at Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW).

Photo: Ian Dewar Photography / Shutterstock

The 737 MAX 9 involved in Tuesday’s incident is registered as N37507, and was delivered new to United Airlines in September 2018. Data from the flight tracking website FlightRadar24.com shows that prior to operating flight UA450, the aircraft had flown to Chicago from Cleveland (CLE) as flight UA238. It spent over two hours on the ground in Chicago, before departing for Seattle at 09:46 am.

United Airlines and the Boeing 737 MAX

According to ch-aviation.com, United Airlines currently has 74 737 MAX 9s in its fleet, each seating a total of 179 passengers in a two-class configuration – 20 in business class and 159 in economy class. These are in addition to 63 737 MAX 8s, making United Airlines the second-largest operator of the 737 MAX series, behind Southwest Airlines. Next year, the carrier will begin to receive the first of 294 737 MAX 10s, making it the launch customer for the type.

Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock

United Airlines hit the headlines on Tuesday when it confirmed a massive order for 110 aircraft, including 50 787s and 60 Airbus A321neo. The aircraft will arrive between 2028 and 2031, and will replace the carrier’s aging 757s and 767s as part of its ongoing fleet modernization program. United Airlines’ 767-300ERs, for example, have an average age of 27.6 years old.

Have you experienced a burst tire or a similar incident while traveling? How was the situation handled by the airline? Did it cause disruption to your journey? Let us know by commenting below.

Sources: KOMO News, ch-aviation.com, FlightRadar24.com