MILWAUKEE — A military aircraft experienced a tire failure upon landing at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport this evening, according to a statement from Christie Green, Marketing Coordinator with the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
In an emailed statement, Green said due to debris caused by the tire failure, the runway was temporarily closed while maintenance crews cleaned up the debris and did maintenance on the aircraft, parked on a nearby taxiway.
It has since re-opened.
No injuries have been reported.
Some flights were diverted away from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport due to damage to the runway from the blown aircraft tire.
According to TMJ4's crew on the scene, some flights have been delayed due to the incident.
Several travelers planned to spend the night and try and catch a flight out Saturday morning.
"It's just easier," said Rob Grimsley. "I'm retired Military Reserve so I've slept in a lot worse places and just going through the hassle."
Grimsley was heading back to Charleston after three weeks of working in Milwaukee. He said he was thankful no one was injured in the military aircraft.
"I want to get home to the wife, kids, grandkids, but at the same time, you want to get home safe, so it is what it is and you just make the best of it," said Grimsley.
Eleanor Howard was heading to Minneapolis for her sister's graduation.
"It's mostly just missing out on time spent with family," said Howard. "We're just going to get together, and watch a movie, and eat some popcorn, so that's the main thing."
Howard will head back to her home in the area and catch a flight out on Saturday to try and make the celebration.
"People can get delayed but there are worse things that can happen," said Grimsley.
Here's a list of the flight delays:
Minneapolis: Delta, scheduled 5:33 p.m.
Boston: Delta, scheduled 6:42 p.m.
Atlanta: Delta, scheduled 6:47 p.m.
For a full list of delays and cancellations, click here.
Read the full statement from the airport below:
"A KC-135 military aircraft owned by the 128th Air Refueling Wing experienced a tire failure upon landing at Mitchell Airport this evening. No injuries. Due to debris caused by the tire failure, the runway is temporarily closed while maintenance crews from the 128th and the Airport clean up the debris and do maintenance on the aircraft, parked on a nearby taxiway. Some aircraft are still landing and departing on an alternate runway, however passengers should check with their airline for their latest flight status."
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