BOOM!

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 02/08/2019 at 10:03 • Filed to: wingspan, Planelopnik

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An airplane tug at Hong Kong International Airport was pushing back a Hong Kong Airlines A330 for a flight to Seoul when one of the tug’s tires failed in a spectacular fashion. Despite the flying debris, nobody was hurt, and the flight took off about an hour after its scheduled departure.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:09

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Maybe an old question, but why don't rigs have solid tires? The surface they are running on is fairly flat. Maybe driver comfort or passes less vibration on to the aircraft?

ttyymmnn > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/08/2019 at 10:11

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You’re asking the wrong guy, but I’m sure there is a good reason for it.

Wheelerguy > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:11

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That guy on the right is thanking at least one god there.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:12

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Lucky. That thing could have easily killed someone.

ttyymmnn > Wheelerguy 02/08/2019 at 10:14

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He’s gonna have to change his shorts. 

ttyymmnn > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 02/08/2019 at 10:14

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Yup.

WilliamsSW > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/08/2019 at 10:16

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Might be just the weight of the rotating tire being an issue, or cost.

I don’t think driver comfort or aircraft vibration would be much of an issue at the low speeds Tugs see.

Discerning > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:17

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And that's why you should take extra care in the maintenance of a vehicle that weighs 120k lbs.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:17

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Split ring, I am guessing. Worked with a bunch of those in the Army.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/08/2019 at 10:23

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And that’s half the ring that goes rocketing away and could have killed somebody, or at least taken off a leg?

Chariotoflove > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/08/2019 at 10:26

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Solid tires that size would be so heavy. Also, increased cost. The recommended pressure in a tire like that should be too low to cause much problem, I would think. I’m guessing it was overinflated. 

Just Jeepin' > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:34

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I don’t think he saw or even heard (much of) it based on the slow reaction time. Probably wearing ear protection.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Discerning 02/08/2019 at 10:34

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Holy shit...I didn’t realize how heavy those things are

Goggles Pizzano > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:36

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OMG, t hat thing is crazy fast. Like, hundreds of mph. Like, cut-a-person-in-half fast.

jimz > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:45

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yep. not for nothin’ the evil things were once called “widowmakers.”

Nick- Professional Car Destroyer > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:46

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A shop I worked at had a ring embedded in the ceiling and wall as a reminder to not stand near those things.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 10:52

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That is one lucky dude...

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 11:07

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King of surprising that split rims are all o wed any where near an airport

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Goggles Pizzano 02/08/2019 at 11:27

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And it weighs like 60 pounds.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 11:28

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I’m guessing it’s the entire ring, probably weight at least 60 pounds. Deadly, maiming force.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 11:39

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These are entertaining, but are primarily due to overinflation. Lots of energy though.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/08/2019 at 12:26

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I wonder how the guys in the first one knew it was going to blow.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/08/2019 at 12:28

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BaconSandwich is tasty. > Discerning 02/08/2019 at 13:11

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Why do they need to weigh so much? More weight for better traction?

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/08/2019 at 14:26

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They need to be able to lift a boatload of weight. From what I’ve seen about 10% of the aircraft’s weight is on the nose gear. An A330 like the one they are pushing back has an MTOW of something like 513,000 - 533,000 pounds, so the tug needs to have a lifting capacity of 55,000 pounds for an A330. In reality the tug probably has a higher lifting capacity than that. They need to be very strong, and have a powerful hydraulic system, so that results in a very heavy vehicle.

ETA: I was assuming that is the newer style tug that actually picks up the front landing gear, but it’s actually the older type that uses a tow bar.  Either way, the tug needs to be able to tow an airplane that weighs 500,000+ pounds, so it needs to be quite heavy duty.

Discerning > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 02/08/2019 at 14:37

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I used to work with a repair facility at JFK that specialized in the tractors. We had 110's and 120's, and the numbers referred to their weight in thousands of lbs. I was shocked and didn't initially entirely believe the person who told me. Much of it is ballast apparently.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > ttyymmnn 02/08/2019 at 23:19

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Of course it’s not just tires that can get over pressurized.