Originally Posted by
MrDK
Question for the fine pilots on this board.
In the case of DL1457 that blew a tire at take off from ATL it circled long enough to burn/dump fuel for a safer landing.
Why not burn the fuel flying to Portland?
Aside from ATL having more (an perhaps longer runways) what is the reason not to complete the flight?
After all, landing with a blown tire statistically (and to the credit of great pilots) is pretty uneventful, and in the event of problems one place is as bad as the other.
The 737NG does not use gear doors. The tires fit very tightly in the gear wells to reduce drag. Any damage to the tire could jam the gear in the well. To prevent this there is a pin that would be hit by a blown or damage tire. It prevents that gear from retracting into the gear well and it free falls back down. It would be a long flight to PDX with one gear hanging down.