Aircraft equipment problem. Air carrier blew 1 tire on takeoff and another on taxi in.

Attributes
ACN	307780
Time
Date	199506
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dca
State Reference	DC
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	DC-9 30
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 1800
ASRS Report	307780
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

At or slightly after V1, the #1 tire blew. We took off and left the gear down. Tower confirmed the #1 tire blown. We left the gear down and diverted to bwi. We had equipment stand by at bwi and landing and rollout were normal and smooth. However, just short of the gate the #2 tire blew. Portable stairs were brought up and the passenger deplaned. Leaving gear down may have been a good idea as the #1 tire knocked off the left strut mounted gear door. This left a bit of loose and bent metal that could have caused a problem had the gear been retracted. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was flying a dc-9-30 and the tire blew just as the aircraft was approaching its liftoff speed. The captain decided to divert to bwi because of that airport's longer runways. He decided to leave the landing gear down because the tire explosion was so violent that he thought that part of the gear mechanism may have been damaged. The second tire exploded as the aircraft approached its gate. This explosion was also very loud and the flight crew heard it in the flight station.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. ACR BLEW 1 TIRE ON TKOF AND ANOTHER ON TAXI IN.

Narrative: AT OR SLIGHTLY AFTER V1, THE #1 TIRE BLEW. WE TOOK OFF AND LEFT THE GEAR DOWN. TWR CONFIRMED THE #1 TIRE BLOWN. WE LEFT THE GEAR DOWN AND DIVERTED TO BWI. WE HAD EQUIP STAND BY AT BWI AND LNDG AND ROLLOUT WERE NORMAL AND SMOOTH. HOWEVER, JUST SHORT OF THE GATE THE #2 TIRE BLEW. PORTABLE STAIRS WERE BROUGHT UP AND THE PAX DEPLANED. LEAVING GEAR DOWN MAY HAVE BEEN A GOOD IDEA AS THE #1 TIRE KNOCKED OFF THE L STRUT MOUNTED GEAR DOOR. THIS LEFT A BIT OF LOOSE AND BENT METAL THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED A PROB HAD THE GEAR BEEN RETRACTED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS FLYING A DC-9-30 AND THE TIRE BLEW JUST AS THE ACFT WAS APCHING ITS LIFTOFF SPD. THE CAPT DECIDED TO DIVERT TO BWI BECAUSE OF THAT ARPT'S LONGER RWYS. HE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE LNDG GEAR DOWN BECAUSE THE TIRE EXPLOSION WAS SO VIOLENT THAT HE THOUGHT THAT PART OF THE GEAR MECHANISM MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED. THE SECOND TIRE EXPLODED AS THE ACFT APCHED ITS GATE. THIS EXPLOSION WAS ALSO VERY LOUD AND THE FLC HEARD IT IN THE FLT STATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.