SANTA ANA, Calif. — A worker at Southern California’s John Wayne Airport was killed when a tire on a jet bridge used to connect terminals to aircraft doors exploded during maintenance.
Airport spokeswoman Deanne Thompson says the accident happened late Tuesday morning in a workshop.
Thompson says two airport employees were working on the tire, which was about 4 feet in diameter.
The explosion’s force set off a fire alarm that summoned airfield rescue crews.
One worker was pronounced dead. The other did not seek treatment.
Thompson says both worked for a company that maintains the Orange County airport’s luggage handling system and jet bridges. They are the moveable passenger-loading structures that connect terminals to airliner doors.
The state’s workplace safety agency, known as Cal-OSHA, will investigate.