Federal authorities said an American Airlines flight was abruptly halted Wednesday when two of the aircraft's tires suddenly blew out as the jet was preparing for takeoff from Chicago — marking a major escalation in a growing number of similar incidents this month.

The incident occurred as American Airlines Flight 3280, a Boeing 737, was taxiing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The flight was bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, the carrier said.

"Shortly after pushing back from the gate at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), American Airlines flight 3280 experienced a tire issue on the taxiway," American Airlines told FOX Business.

Officials said passengers deplaned via stairs and were safely bused to the terminal. The travelers were scheduled to depart shortly afterward on a replacement aircraft, American Airlines said. According to flight-tracking service FlightAware, the passengers arrived at their destination nearly four hours after their original scheduled landing time.

"We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans, and we apologize for the inconvenience this caused," the company said.

The FAA said it will investigate. The blowout marked the fifth reported tire-related incident this month at the Chicago airport, though no clear explanation has yet been identified. O'Hare is one of the busiest airports in the United States by total flight operations and serves as a major hub for both American and United, the two carriers involved in this month's events, which occurred during landings, takeoffs and taxiing. Commercial aircraft tires are engineered to withstand heavy loads at high speeds and are checked as part of routine maintenance, and a blown tire typically requires an inspection before the aircraft returns to service — leaving the FAA's findings, including whether any common factor across the five events emerges, as the key development to watch.

The string of recent tire events at O'Hare includes:

• Last Saturday, American Airlines Flight 3199 suffered a tire burst after landing from Phoenix, according to Simply Flying. The incident occurred as the aircraft was taxiing toward the gate, the outlet reported.
• On Aug. 17, American Airlines Flight 387 reported two blown tires after landing safely, according to the FAA. The flight had arrived from New York's LaGuardia Airport.
• Three hours later, United Airlines Flight 739 also reported a blown tire after landing safely, the FAA said. The Airbus A320 had arrived from Omaha, Nebraska.
• On Aug. 13, United Airlines Flight 455 blew a tire during takeoff while headed to Phoenix, FOX 32 Chicago reported. No injuries were reported.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FOX Business.

Source: Fox Business