ANN REALTIME REPORTING 05.02.06 1925 EDT: All is well as the Continental ExpressJet Embraer 145XR that has been circling the Houston area for the past two hours and 15 minutes... after one if the jet's left maingear tires blew out on takeoff... landed safe and sound moments ago on Runway 15L at George Bush Intercontinental (IAH).

Pictures taken during one of two tower flybys after the tire blew seemed to show both tires on the gear hub had been shredded off... but as the jet came in to land, it appeared enough of the inboard tire remained to cushion the landing somewhat; in fact, there were no sparks at all, indictating that metal never made contact with the runway.

A textbook landing... well done, guys. (Or, as John King put it... "duck soup.")

Original Report

A Continental Express EMB-145XR heading from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul blew two tires on the left maingear on takeoff, and is now circling the Houston area to burn off fuel before making an emergency landing (center).

Continental Express Flight 3161 took off from IAH at approximately 4:00 pm CDT. The plane's pilots contacted the tower immediately afterward to report the suspected tire failure. A tower fly-by confirmed that both tires have shredded away from the maingear hub, leaving only the metal rim.

Despite the drama inherent in such a situation -- and that the incident is occurring right in the early evening news cycle, on the second day of May sweeps -- in a welcome change from the previously-established norm, cooler heads seem to be prevailing on network and cable television coverage so far.

(Graphic courtesy Flightaware.com)

"If you haven't accidentally blown tires during your training, they're going to make sure you know how to handle that situation before you're signed off," King Schools' John King told CNN.

"This is really duck soup," King added. "This is well within the pilots' capabilities."

The aircraft has made two flybys of the tower to confirm the extent of the damage. Media reports have stated the pilot was initially going to land before the first flyby, but was then waved off by ground crews.

Continental representatives told CNN there are 45 passengers onboard the 50-passenger jet, and three crewmembers.

The aircraft departed Runway 9 at IAH. As the jet has circled, crews closed the runway and have cleared debris left from the blown tires. All other runways at IAH are operational, and airport representatives report no delays.

At the moment, the wind is favoring Runway 15L -- which is just over 12,000 ft. long -- for the emergency landing.

According to the flight's revised flight plan, the aircraft is expected to touch down at approximately 6:15 CDT.

FMI: www.continental.com