Two Delta Shop Workers Killed In Tire Explosion

Two Delta Air Lines maintenance workers died yesterday (Aug. 27) and a third was seriously injured when a tire reportedly exploded while it was being changed at the airline’s Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility (TOC 3). Airliner tires are typically inflated with nitrogen to around 200 pounds per square inch of pressure.

Airliner wheels are configured as two-piece “split” wheels with inner and outer halves that are bolted together with O-rings to seal the bead of the tire. It takes two workers about an hour to swap a tire on the airplane, including documentation. Delta TechOps Chief of Operations and President John Laughter told company employees the accident took place in the department's wheel and brake shop where the tire would have been removed from the wheel and replaced.

The two killed were identified as Mirko F. Marweg, 58, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, and Luis Aldarondo, 37, of Newnan, Georgia. The injured employee was not immediately identified nor were the extent of his injuries revealed, though one news report called them “life-threatening.”

Laughter reported, "Tragically, two of our team members involved passed away and one other team member was seriously injured. We are extending our full support to their families at this difficult time and conducting an investigation to determine what happened. This news is heartbreaking for all of us."

In a statement, Delta Air Lines said yesterday, “The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of two team members and the injury of another following an incident this morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility. We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.”