The Incident Occurred At Delta’s TechOps Facility in Georgia

Two Delta Airlines maintenance workers were killed and one more was left in critical condition after an aircraft tire explosion.

The fatal incident occurred in the wheel and brake shop at a Delta Airlines TechOps maintenance facility. It is located near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.

"I’m deeply saddened to share that three TechOps team members were involved in an accident that took place early this morning in Atlanta TOC 3, Dept. 391 - Wheel & Brake Shop. Tragically, two of our team members involved passed away and one other team member was seriously injured," commented John Laughter, president and chief of operations at Delta TechOps.

The three workers were reportedly removing a tire from a Delta Airlines Boeing 757 when it blew up. The jet had arrived from Las Vegas on August 25 for maintenance.

Several Atlanta fire units and officers responded to the hangar around 5:00 am local time. The Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office has since identified the two victims as 58-year-old Mirko Marweg of Stone Mountain and 37-year-old Luis Aldarondo of Newnan. No other details have been provided about the nature of the incident or the condition of the injured worker.

"We are extending our full support to their families at this difficult time and conducting an investigation to determine what happened,” continued Laughter. Atlanta Mayor Andrew Dickens also expressed his condolences to those affected on social media.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents airlines industry workers in North America, later stated: “We stand in unity with Delta workers during this difficult time and we call on Delta and the relevant authorities to quickly launch a thorough investigation into how this happened.”

Delta has stated that they are currently working with Atlanta authorities to conduct a full investigation. The FAA is aware of the incident and has made contact with the carrier.

FMI: www.deltatechops.com