The pilot in command of a Boeing 737 carried out a rejected take-off on runway 34L, due to a suspected tyre failure as the aircraft approached the take-off decision speed. The crew were subsequently able to vacate the runway safely and stop the aircraft on taxiway B4, despite both tyres on the left main landing gear being deflated. The runway was closed by ATC and a pavement inspection found considerable tyre debris. The passengers were subsequently disembarked onto the taxiway and transported to the terminal.
The operator reported that a subsequent inspection of the aircraft found that both tyres on the left main landing gear, as well as the outer left wheel, had been destroyed. The inner left wheel had also suffered damage. The mainwheel gear door was holed, and the left-wing flap dented. One passenger was reported to have sustained a minor cut to the head when an overhead panel had been dislodged.
While the mode of tyre failure is yet to be conclusively determined, the operator has indicated that the damage is consistent with the left mainwheel outer tyre having suffered foreign object damage prior to or during the take-off roll, resulting in deflation at high speed. It is considered that the left inner tyre then failed as a result of heat stress following the rejected take-off.