Aircraft Tire Safety: Handling, Inspection & Best Practices

Aircraft wheel assemblies and tires operate under heavy loads and high air pressures and should be handled with the same safety precautions as other high-pressure containers. Any conflict with local and manufacturer's safety procedures should be brought to the attention of a supervisor and the most conservative course of action should be taken.

Inspecting

• New tires should be inspected for obvious shipping damage. In-service tires should be inspected as required by the manufacturer for cuts, abrasions, or excessive wear. Remove wheels that are missing tie bolts.

Handling

• Aircraft tires are heavy. Use equipment to assist in moving wheel and tire assemblies or roll them across the floor to avoid back injury. If rolling a tire, ensure you keep positive control at all times.

Inflating

• Before inflating tires, inspect all hoses and fittings. Use a tire safety cage when available. Follow all manufacturers' inflation pressure recommendations and other safety policies.

Damaged Tires

• Do not approach damaged tires installed on aircraft until they have sufficiently cooled to ambient temperatures. Approach the tire from a 45-degree angle. Use caution when deflating the tire for removal, valve cores can be propelled at high rates of speed.

Other Safety Considerations

• When handling tires that are not installed on aircraft, consider using an aircraft tire safety cage, a reinforced cage specifically built to protect employees from an exploding tire during pressurization.