You Get The Jack And I'll Get The Spare...

Remember the old saw about how flying is hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Well, let's not get carried away, but there were some moments of intense consternation for the crew of an American Airlines 757 Monday as the aircraft had to make an emergency landing because of a blown tire.

AAL 1550 was headed from Miami to Newark, NJ, when, shortly after take-off, the pilot reported a landing gear problem. So, for the next half-hour, the 757 with 187 passengers and crew circled MIA, burning off fuel.

Finally, the aircraft landed at approximately 1630 -- two hours after take-off -- shedding rubber from its left main landing gear. Seems one of the inside tires had either blown or suffered a tread separation. The pilot aboard the WPLG Local 10 News helicopter reported what looked like a small hole in the left wing just above the main gear -- perhaps caused by a debris strike on landing.

No one was hurt. The passengers aboard Flight 1550 were put on another plane and whisked off to Newark. The 757 in question got a new tire -- and was ready to go (somewhere) just after 1800 local.

FMI: www.aa.com