DHL Boeing 737 freighter sets LAX runway ablaze after brakes lock and four tyres blow on landing

A DHL Boeing 737-800 freighter lit up the night sky at Los Angeles International Airport on 26 August after its brakes locked during landing, blowing all four rear tyres and triggering a fire that shot flames sideways from the undercarriage. Pilot told air traffic control: 'I don't know if we blew a tyre, but it feels like the brakes locked up.' Both crew members escaped without injury as 13 Los Angeles Fire Department units raced to the scene.
The anti-skid system was inoperative during the landing, leaving the crew without a key safeguard against brake lockup, the FAA confirmed.
The runway was temporarily closed after the blaze; KABC-TV footage showed four rear tyres destroyed and scorching across the aircraft's undercarriage.
The FAA has opened an investigation into the precise mechanical cause, which remains officially undetermined.
