Southwest Airlines evacuated an arriving flight at Chicago’s Midway International Airport after a hydraulic issue materialized upon landing, resulting in blown tires, ABC 7 Chicago and CBS Chicago report.
There were no injuries, according to the Associated Press.
Online flight records from FlightAware show the flight, No. 4448 departing from Austin, arrived about 35 minutes late, landing at about 9 a.m. and spending about 45 minutes on the runway before arriving at a gate.
“Following a safe landing, the 137 customers and a crew of five used airstairs to deplane the aircraft and board buses for the main terminal,” Michelle Agnew, a spokesperson for Southwest, told USA TODAY in a statement, confirming that the problem had to do with a system that powers the landing gear.
“We apologize to all customers onboard for the inconvenience and are working with any connecting customers whose onward travel plans changed as a result of this event,” Agnew added.
Passengers compared the sound and feeling of the landing to what one might experience when a tire blows on a car.
“We landed kind of hard. I was actually dozing off and it startled me awake,” passenger Sam German told ABC 7 Chicago. “We just heard something pop and then like a rattle. It sounded like a flat tire basically,” he added. USA TODAY has reached out to Southwest for further details regarding the tires.
Another passenger, Jill Ariola, told the outlet, “If you ever had a flat tire, it was the same type of deal. You kind of hear it flap flap flap, and then we just listed a little bit. The pilot did a great job. There was no swerving; there was no drama.”
Contributing: Associated Press
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