A DELTA AIRLINES MD88 airliner suffered heavy damage in a landing accident yesterday afternoon at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Georgia. Flight 2284 was on Domestic Service from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Atlanta, with 43 passengers and 5 crew members onboard. At 4:14pm as the MD88 touched down on the runway 08L, a right main gear tire blew during the rollout. The crew turned off the runway and onto the taxiway B7, where smoke and flames erupted from the right main gear, most likely from overheating of the brakes. The crew ordered an immediate evacuation via the slides from the tail and the left hand side of the aircraft. Emergency Services responded and extinguished the fire with foam. According to reports, 4 passengers suffered minor injuries and were treated and released from the scene. Reports say that the MD88 may have suffered a hard landing, which lead to the tire blowing out. The landing was reportedly so loud, guests at a nearby hotel said they were startled by the noise. "It was a big boom, just a big boom," said one eyewitness. Another eyewitness said the aircraft landed with a "loud boom". The MD88 was later towed to a nearby hanger for a full damage assessment. Reports this morning say the aircraft suffered "significant fire damage". The upper wing skin is buckled from the heat damage and a hole about 1ft by 1ft was torn in the flaps by the tire separating. The aircraft may end up being written off. The NTSB and FAA are investigating and have removed the CVR and FDR from the aircraft for use in the investigation.
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