Two workers killed in tire explosion at Georgia aircraft maintenance facility

Two workers died and a third was injured after an airplane tire reportedly exploded at a Delta Air Lines maintenance shop at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Administration for Safety and Health at Work.

The Associated Press and other news sites reported that maintenance workers in the wheel and brake shop at Delta’s expanded facility were disassembling wheel components on an airliner when the tire exploded early Tuesday morning. The wheel was not attached to an airliner at the time.

The deceased workers were identified as Luis Aldarondo, 37, of Newnan; and Mirko F. Marweg, 58, of Stone Mountain, USA Today reported. An update on the injured employee was not immediately available.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the incident, the New York Times noted. The International Association of Machinists and Aeronautical Workers has called on aviation authorities and Delta to launch a thorough investigation into the causes of the explosion.

Georgia’s workers’ compensation law provides two-thirds of a worker’s average weekly wage for temporary total disability, up to a maximum of $800, for up to 400 weeks, according to the state Workers’ Compensation Board. For deaths, the 2022 law provided for a funeral allowance of $7,500 and the worker’s weekly total temporary disability rate, paid to the spouse, with a maximum of $270,000, the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute says.

Photo: A landing gear assembly of an airliner. (Adobe Stock Images)

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