In a dramatic turn of events, first responders in Atlanta quickly mobilized on Tuesday after an aircraft encountered a severe landing malfunction. All eight tires of the plane burst upon touchdown, as reported by Fox 5 Atlanta.
The incident involved LATAM Flight 2482, a Boeing 767, which had just completed a seven-hour journey from Lima, Peru, touching down at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday evening.
Fox 5, referencing insights from a flight expert, suggested that the incident may not have been due to a hard landing; instead, it could have stemmed from a possible glitch in the plane’s automatic braking system.
Photos from the scene showed considerable damage, including cabin panels that had come loose and a bathroom door ripped from its hinges, according to the local news source.
Emergency personnel attended to the impaired aircraft on the runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta on January 6, 2026. (@daeboganmusic/Fox 5 Atlanta)
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the aftermath of the incident. However, airport staff who observed the landing recounted hearing several popping sounds as the plane made contact with the runway, followed by a cloud of smoke.
“I was at work and my coworkers and I heard a couple of loud bangs and saw a lot of smoke,” a user posted on social media Tuesday. “One of the airport ops guys told us that the plane landed so hard that all the tires blew out.”
Another traveler noted that, as the plane decelerated, another passenger recalled the unsettling sensation of wheels “rattling on the tarmac” for an unusually long time, Fox 5 reported.
Passengers evacuate a plane Jan. 6, 2026, at the Atlanta airport. (@daeboganmusic/Fox 5 Atlanta)
The 221 people on board were reportedly stranded on the tarmac for two hours before being transported to the terminal by bus.
Speaking to Fox 5, retired Capt. Paul Carr, who flew 767s for years, called the incident “very odd.” The former Delta pilot said that while tire blowouts are relatively common, it is rare for all eight tires to fail at once. He added that a malfunction in the automatic braking system likely triggered the disaster by locking the wheels and generating extreme friction.
A close-up view shows damaged landing gear on a LATAM Boeing 767 after the aircraft landed from Lima, Peru, and experienced a landing failure at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Jan. 6, 2026. (@yashodunn/Fox 5 Atlanta)
“That’s very odd for all eight tires to blow on a landing,” Carr said. “More than likely, the brake system logic … malfunctioned, and it locked up all the brakes and just caused them to blow.”
Crews respond to a runway after a LATAM Flight 2482 experienced a landing failure at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta Jan. 6, 2026. (Fox 5 Atlanta)
The incident prompted a temporary runway shutdown but did not significantly alter overall airport operations.
Fox News reached out to LATAM and the Federal Aviation Administration for more information.
