DEPLOYDatabase

Retracted · 2026-07-22

out of scope: not a robot or autonomous-system incident (human-driven truck / tire explosion / shipyard / rocket-propellant blast); reclassified per fatality-page scope ruling 2026-07-21

Incident · Fatality · Retracted

JBT AeroTech employee killed by exploding jet bridge tire at John Wayne Airport

Original claim shown above is no longer asserted. See the retraction notice for context.

A JBT AeroTech employee was fatally injured when a 4-foot-tall jet bridge tire exploded during maintenance at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. The worker was performing repairs on the tire when it exploded, causing fatal injuries. JBT AeroTech was a division of JBT Corporation that produced airport ground support equipment.

Occurred 2019-02-12 · JBT Automated Guided Vehicles at Chalfont, Pennsylvania, USA · JBT Corporation · Chalfont, Pennsylvania, USA · Warehouse & Logistics Robotics

How to read this record

Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
Track JBT AeroTech employee killed by exploding jet bridge tire at John Wayne Airport

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Sources (1)

  1. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/one-dead-tire-explodes-john-wayne-airport/3349/

Status history

  • Retracted · 2026-07-22 · editor:cos

    out of scope: not a robot or autonomous-system incident (human-driven truck / tire explosion / shipyard / rocket-propellant blast); reclassified per fatality-page scope ruling 2026-07-21

  • Active · 2026-07-08 · agent:depth

Common questions

What happened in JBT AeroTech employee killed by exploding jet bridge tire at John Wayne Airport?
A JBT AeroTech employee was fatally injured when a 4-foot-tall jet bridge tire exploded during maintenance at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. The worker was performing repairs on the tire when it exploded, causing fatal injuries. JBT AeroTech was a division of JBT Corporation that produced airport ground support equipment. This incident was later retracted; see the retraction banner at the top of the page for the correction.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on February 12, 2019 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in JBT AeroTech employee killed by exploding jet bridge tire at John Wayne Airport?
JBT Automated Guided Vehicles by JBT Corporation is the recorded robot involved in this incident at Chalfont, Pennsylvania, USA.
Has anyone responded to JBT AeroTech employee killed by exploding jet bridge tire at John Wayne Airport?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of JBT AeroTech employee killed by exploding jet bridge tire at John Wayne Airport?
This incident is retracted on the DEPLOY registry. The page remains so the correction reaches readers, but the incident is suppressed from aggregate counts (company / model / location) so it no longer counts against anyone.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-21

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-21

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for JBT AeroTech employee killed by exploding jet bridge tire at John Wayne Airport.

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Canonical ID 5094e072-c980-4e1f-9819-eed601937de8