Another Close Call at O'Hare: American Airlines Flight Blows Tires Upon Landing

Picture this: a bustling Monday afternoon at Chicago O'Hare, and an American Airlines flight, AA386, has just touched down after its journey from New York's LaGuardia. It should have been a routine end to the flight, but around 2 p.m. CDT on August 17, 2026, things took an unexpected turn. As the Boeing 737-800 (registration N844NN, for those keeping track) was making its way, two of its tires decided to call it quits, failing right there on the runway.

Immediately, as you might expect, the airport's emergency response kicked into high gear. Fire trucks and police cars swarmed the aircraft, a sight that always sends a little shiver down your spine, even when you know it's a precaution. Thankfully, and this is truly the most important bit, there were no injuries reported among the passengers or crew. Everyone onboard was able to deplane safely using stairs, and from there, buses were ready to whisk them away to the terminal. The aircraft, well, it's now out of service, undergoing a thorough inspection to figure out exactly what went wrong.

Now, here's where it gets a little interesting, and perhaps a touch concerning. This incident with AA386 isn't an isolated event at O'Hare, not by a long shot. Just a few days prior, on August 13th, United Airlines Flight UA455, a Boeing 737-900 heading for Phoenix, had to abort its takeoff. Why? You guessed it – two blown tires on its right main landing gear. Again, no injuries, but certainly a jolt for those passengers.

And if we look back a bit further, there's more. We've seen other American Airlines flights run into similar snags. Remember Flight AA791, which was reported to have multiple flat tires – either on landing or, as American Airlines later clarified, while taxiing to the gate? That one, originating from Miami, saw passengers likewise bused to the terminal. There was also AA2481 back in January, another 737-800, that blew both its right maingear tires after landing while taxiing from Minneapolis. It's almost like O'Hare has developed a bit of a knack for these tire-related issues lately, isn't it?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is, of course, on the case, investigating AA386 and these other incidents. As of now, the exact cause of the tire failures on Monday afternoon remains a mystery, and preliminary findings from the FAA's investigations are always subject to change. But one can't help but wonder about the string of similar occurrences. For travelers, it's a reminder that even the most routine parts of a flight can sometimes come with a little drama, though safety remains paramount and these systems are designed to handle such contingencies.