Narrative:

The flight was from san juan; pr (tjsj); to mia with 5 passenger and 3 crew members. WX was not a factor. Departure and arrival terminal WX were both clear with unrestr visibility; dry runways and light winds. En route WX was clear. The flight crew conducted a preflight inspection; including inspection of the landing gear; which revealed no abnormalities. Takeoff was made at XA21Z at a weight of approximately 64200 pounds; some 9000 pounds below maximum takeoff weight. From the flight deck the takeoff appeared normal in all respects. When the seatbelt sign was turned off; the flight attendant came to the cockpit and reported hearing and feeling a relatively solid 'thump' early in the takeoff roll. On reflection; the cockpit crew also recalled hearing a noise that both had assumed to be the nosewheel running over a recessed runway centerline light -- a common occurrence. Very shortly afterwards; san juan ATC advised that someone on the ground had observed a tire separate from the airplane during takeoff and that operations personnel were in the process of recovering it from beside the runway. A phone call was placed from the airplane to the ground operations staff and the identing markings on the tire confirmed it to be the same as the tires installed on the main landing gear. No abnormalities with the airplane were evident: hydraulic pressures and quantities; fuel tank depletion rates and pressurization indications including outflow valve position were all normal and had been so since the after takeoff check was completed. There was no unusual noise or vibration apparent anywhere in the airplane. Aircraft weight at this time was approximately 63000 pounds; some 4500 pounds in excess of the maximum landing weight and a further 90 mins of flight time would be required before the airplane would be at maximum landing weight. These factors considered; the flight was continued to miami. ZMA was informed of the abnormality and an uneventful landing was made on runway 8R. When the airplane cleared the runway; emergency personnel reported one of the left main tires missing but no other abnormalities evident. The airplane taxiing characteristics at this point were normal and braking was normal; so the airplane was taxied to an open parking area on the ramp and shut down. Postflt inspection confirmed the inboard left main (#2) tire had separated due to a failure of the wheel rim on the inboard side. It was evident that the tire and rim had separated the wheel explosively and impacted the right inboard main wheel (#3); causing only apparent minor damage. The heated mast drain from the galley (on the underside fuselage aft of the main gear) was missing and there was also a tire scuff mark on the underside of the right flap. Company maintenance personnel as well as representatives from the manufacturer were dispatched to evaluate the incident and perform the necessary corrective action.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: L INBOARD MAIN GEAR WHEEL OF GLF4 EXPLODES ON TKOF ROLL FROM TJSJ. FLT CREW NOT AWARE UNTIL ALREADY AIRBORNE. LAND WITH CFR MONITORING.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS FROM SAN JUAN; PR (TJSJ); TO MIA WITH 5 PAX AND 3 CREW MEMBERS. WX WAS NOT A FACTOR. DEP AND ARR TERMINAL WX WERE BOTH CLR WITH UNRESTR VISIBILITY; DRY RWYS AND LIGHT WINDS. ENRTE WX WAS CLR. THE FLT CREW CONDUCTED A PREFLT INSPECTION; INCLUDING INSPECTION OF THE LNDG GEAR; WHICH REVEALED NO ABNORMALITIES. TKOF WAS MADE AT XA21Z AT A WT OF APPROX 64200 LBS; SOME 9000 LBS BELOW MAX TKOF WT. FROM THE FLT DECK THE TKOF APPEARED NORMAL IN ALL RESPECTS. WHEN THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS TURNED OFF; THE FLT ATTENDANT CAME TO THE COCKPIT AND RPTED HEARING AND FEELING A RELATIVELY SOLID 'THUMP' EARLY IN THE TKOF ROLL. ON REFLECTION; THE COCKPIT CREW ALSO RECALLED HEARING A NOISE THAT BOTH HAD ASSUMED TO BE THE NOSEWHEEL RUNNING OVER A RECESSED RWY CTRLINE LIGHT -- A COMMON OCCURRENCE. VERY SHORTLY AFTERWARDS; SAN JUAN ATC ADVISED THAT SOMEONE ON THE GND HAD OBSERVED A TIRE SEPARATE FROM THE AIRPLANE DURING TKOF AND THAT OPS PERSONNEL WERE IN THE PROCESS OF RECOVERING IT FROM BESIDE THE RWY. A PHONE CALL WAS PLACED FROM THE AIRPLANE TO THE GND OPS STAFF AND THE IDENTING MARKINGS ON THE TIRE CONFIRMED IT TO BE THE SAME AS THE TIRES INSTALLED ON THE MAIN LNDG GEAR. NO ABNORMALITIES WITH THE AIRPLANE WERE EVIDENT: HYD PRESSURES AND QUANTITIES; FUEL TANK DEPLETION RATES AND PRESSURIZATION INDICATIONS INCLUDING OUTFLOW VALVE POS WERE ALL NORMAL AND HAD BEEN SO SINCE THE AFTER TKOF CHK WAS COMPLETED. THERE WAS NO UNUSUAL NOISE OR VIBRATION APPARENT ANYWHERE IN THE AIRPLANE. ACFT WT AT THIS TIME WAS APPROX 63000 LBS; SOME 4500 LBS IN EXCESS OF THE MAX LNDG WT AND A FURTHER 90 MINS OF FLT TIME WOULD BE REQUIRED BEFORE THE AIRPLANE WOULD BE AT MAX LNDG WT. THESE FACTORS CONSIDERED; THE FLT WAS CONTINUED TO MIAMI. ZMA WAS INFORMED OF THE ABNORMALITY AND AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE ON RWY 8R. WHEN THE AIRPLANE CLRED THE RWY; EMER PERSONNEL RPTED ONE OF THE L MAIN TIRES MISSING BUT NO OTHER ABNORMALITIES EVIDENT. THE AIRPLANE TAXIING CHARACTERISTICS AT THIS POINT WERE NORMAL AND BRAKING WAS NORMAL; SO THE AIRPLANE WAS TAXIED TO AN OPEN PARKING AREA ON THE RAMP AND SHUT DOWN. POSTFLT INSPECTION CONFIRMED THE INBOARD L MAIN (#2) TIRE HAD SEPARATED DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE WHEEL RIM ON THE INBOARD SIDE. IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THE TIRE AND RIM HAD SEPARATED THE WHEEL EXPLOSIVELY AND IMPACTED THE R INBOARD MAIN WHEEL (#3); CAUSING ONLY APPARENT MINOR DAMAGE. THE HEATED MAST DRAIN FROM THE GALLEY (ON THE UNDERSIDE FUSELAGE AFT OF THE MAIN GEAR) WAS MISSING AND THERE WAS ALSO A TIRE SCUFF MARK ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE R FLAP. COMPANY MAINT PERSONNEL AS WELL AS REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE MANUFACTURER WERE DISPATCHED TO EVALUATE THE INCIDENT AND PERFORM THE NECESSARY CORRECTIVE ACTION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.