American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 Blows Both Tires Upon Landing At Kingston Argyle Int’l Airport

An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8
was involved in an incident while landing in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, resulting in the temporary closure of the airport.

Burst tires

On January 20, an American Airlines
737 MAX 8, registered as N328TC, was involved in an incident at Kingstown Argyle International Airport (SYD), the primary airport serving Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The aircraft reportedly burst two tires as it landed on the runway. Pictures shared on social media showed the aircraft on the runway at Argyle Airport, including close-up shots of the two burst tires of the left-hand gear.

Pictures also showed the aircraft, which stopped on the airport’s sole runway, being surrounded by emergency services. The 737 MAX 8 had two sets of stairs attached, presumably allowing passengers to evacuate without needing emergency slides.

In a statement to Simple Flying, an American Airlines spokesperson said nobody onboard the aircraft suffered any injuries. The aircraft was taken out of service following the incident and inspected by the carrier’s maintenance team, according to the company’s representative.

“American Airlines flight 909, with service from MIA to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD), experienced a mechanical issue after landing in SVD. […] We thank our crew for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”

The aircraft, operating flight AA909 from Miami International Airport
(MIA) to Kingstown-Argyle, has remained at the airport since the incident when it landed in Saint Vicent and the Grenadines at 16:40 local time (UTC -4).

Closing down the airport

However, due to the fact that Kingstown-Argyle has a single runway, the incident resulted in the temporary closure of the airport on January 20. In a statement shared on social media, Argyle Airport said that the airport was temporarily closed until further notice.

A mere two hours later, the company provided an update to travelers, saying that the airport had resumed operations.

The incident caused at least three diversions and at least two canceled flights on January 20. Virgin Atlantic
flight VS197 between London Heathrow Airport
(LHR) and Argyle Airport, with a stop at Bridgetown Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI), had to return to Grantley Adams International.

Air Adelphi flight MUS316 from Mustique Airport (MQS) diverted to Canouan Airport (CIW), while a LIAT20 itinerary diverted to Antigua V. C. Bird International Airport (ANU) on flight GAO375 from Beef Island Terrance B. Lettsome Airport (EIS).

The Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-900
registered as G-VRIF, which was operating flight VS197, had already left for London-Heathrow. On January 21, the aircraft left Heathrow on a flight to Boston Logan International Airport
(BOS), where it should arrive at 17:15 local time (UTC -5).

Delivered in June 2023

According to ch-aviation data, Boeing
delivered the 737 MAX 8 to American Airlines on June 29, 2023, after the airframe operated its first flight on May 19, 2023.

Since then, the 737 MAX 8 had accumulated 5023 flight hours (FH) and 1889 flight cycles (FC) as of December 31, 2024, ch-aviation records showed, which included data sourced from Boeing and the site’s estimates.

The Aviation Herald and Aviation Safety Network records showed that the subject 737 MAX 8 has never been involved in an incident during its service time.