LOS ANGELES — A DHL cargo flight suffered a high-voltage landing emergency late Wednesday night at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after a major mechanical failure ignited a fire on the tarmac, forcing air traffic control to halt multiple incoming flights.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800(BDSF) operated by Kalitta Charters II, was touching down on LAX’s southernmost runway system—just west of the Sepulveda Tunnel—at approximately 11:10 p.m. when its left main landing gear suffered a sudden brake lockup. The intense friction caused the gear to burst into flames, leaving a heavy trail of smoke and glowing fire along the runway as the aircraft rolled to a stop.
Air traffic controllers immediately declared an emergency, calling off several commercial airliners on final approach and ordering rapid go-arounds to keep the airspace clear.
Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) crews rushed to the scene within moments, deploying heavy foam streams to suppress the tire and brake fire before it could reach the fuel tanks or cargo bay. Emergency personnel successfully extinguished the flames, and no injuries were reported among the flight crew.
“Our emergency response teams reacted instantly to control the fire and secure the aircraft,” an airport spokesperson said. “Safety protocols were executed swiftly to prevent any further escalation.”
As of Thursday morning, emergency crews remain on site working to clear the disabled freighter from Runway 25L. The runway remains fully closed to air traffic while mechanics assess the landing gear damage and authority teams clear debris from the tarmac. Airport authorities warn that the closure may cause lingering delays across regional flight schedules throughout the day.
Federal aviation safety officials have initiated an investigation into the exact cause of the brake mechanism lockup.
