Arajet flight DM5101 from Miami suffered a tire failure as it landed at Punta Cana on Thursday, November 12, 2026, and came to a stop on the runway. Because the airport’s second runway was already closed for repairs, the disabled Boeing 737 MAX 8 shut Punta Cana International Airport to arrivals and departures for several hours.
Arajet said the aircraft landed safely and that no one was hurt. The Dominican Republic’s Civil Aviation Board (JAC) also said no injuries were reported.
What happened on the runway
FlightAware tracking data shows the jet, registration HI1142, left Miami at 1:50 p.m. Eastern time and arrived at Punta Cana at 4:44 p.m. local time. The Aviation Herald reported that it landed on runway 08 and burst both left main tires, then stopped on the runway, disabled.
Arajet’s own statement on X spoke of an incident with “one of the aircraft’s tires” and said the jet “landed safely and stopped on the runway following established operating procedures.” The airline has not said what caused the failure.
Local reports differ on the number of people aboard. El Pregonero, citing preliminary information, put it at 157 passengers who were taken off the aircraft and checked by medical staff.
El Nacional reported 170 passengers and crew, who left the jet on the runway with help from ground staff.
Early social media posts spoke of smoke and fire. According to El Nacional, Arajet denied those reports, and no official statement mentions a fire.
Diversions and a six-hour shutdown
With the 737 sitting on runway 08/26, the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) and airport managers suspended operations and sent inbound flights to Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo, Listín Diario reported. It counted at least five diversions on Thursday evening.
A fuller list published by El Viajero Digital names at least 10 diverted flights, including JetBlue 2895, United 2055, LATAM 2460, Copa 352, Avianca 136 and five Arajet services. Passengers were then taken by bus from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana and other eastern provinces that night.
Alberto Smith, the airport’s director of operations, told El Viajero Digital that international arrivals and departures resumed at 11 p.m. on Thursday. Arajet told Los Andes that flights were halted for six hours and that dozens were canceled, affecting hundreds of passengers.
Some of them spent the night in the terminal: Argentine travelers waiting for an Arajet flight to Mendoza told Los Andes they had waited more than 12 hours without hotel rooms or clear information.
On Friday, the JAC said it was working with airlines on rebooking, connections and passenger updates.
Why one stuck jet closed a major airport
Punta Cana International Airport has two runways. With one closed for repair work, the only usable strip became a single point of failure the moment a jet could not taxi off it.
Each main landing gear leg on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 carries two wheels. If both tires on one side fail, the aircraft cannot be towed away normally, and moving it usually means jacking it up and changing wheels first, which takes time.
Tires can fail on landing for several reasons, among them a wheel that locks under braking, a tire that was already damaged, or debris on the runway. No authority has said which applies here.
In October, American’s flight AA41 landed at Chicago O’Hare with a brake issue and flat tires.
What comes next
Arajet, the Dominican low-cost carrier that made Punta Cana its second base in 2024, said HI1142 will undergo technical inspections before it returns to service. The Aviation Herald reported the jet was still on the ground at Punta Cana about 21 hours after landing, and FlightAware showed no flights for it after the Miami arrival as of November 14.
El Nacional reported that representatives of IDAC and the JAC said they would make inquiries, but neither had issued a formal statement on the cause. Whether the tire failure followed a brake, anti-skid or tire problem is not yet known.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.
Get the Newsletter
The latest aviation news and stories sent to your inbox.
About the Author
AeroCorner News is the aviation news desk of AeroCorner.com. It covers accidents and incidents, safety rulings, airline and airport disruption, and new aircraft. It works from primary sources such as the NTSB, FAA, EASA and the manufacturers' own announcements.