Two killed by plane tire explosion identified as Air Force veteran and dad-of-two

Two people who were killed when a Delta Air Lines plane tire exploded have been pictured and identified as an Air Force veteran and a father-of-two.

Mirko Marweg, 58, and Luis Aldarondo Jr, 37, both Delta workers, died while the wheel of an aircraft was being changed in a maintenance section of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday morning.

Another Delta worker was critically injured when the Boeing 757 part combusted shortly after 5am.

Marweg and Aldarondo were identified by the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office, while the third injured victim’s identity has not been revealed.

The incident at the airline’s TechOps Tire facility ‘involved wheel components that were being disassembled for maintenance’, Delta told The National Desk. The wheel was ‘not attacked to the aircraft’ when in exploded.

‘Tragically, two of our team members involved passed away and one other team member was seriously injured,’ stated Delta TechOps Chief of Operations and President John Laughter in a memo to employees.

Hours after learning by a phone call of Marweg’s death, his son, Andrew Coleman, said his body was initially ‘unrecognizable’ and that family members ‘identified him by tattoos and his Mississippi State lanyard around his neck’.

‘I’m in a state of shock I wanted to view the body because I didn’t believe it was true,’ Coleman told 11Alive. ‘Neither did my mom.’ 

Marweg served on the US Air Force for four years and also worked for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, before taking a job with Delta.

His family’s nickname for him was ‘Mr Fix-It’ because he loved to help others as much as he could.

‘My dad was an amazing guy, wonderful father, wonderful husband. I just saw him Sunday after I told him I needed an oil change. That’s the kind of Dad he was. He was always there,’ Coleman said.

‘If I could tell him something right now, I would tell him no more suffering. You had your time here with us now it’s time for you to be with God.’

Aldarondo was the dad of a young son and daughter with his wife, Sonia, the Daily Mail reported. He also had a close relationship with his mom, Juliet Perez.

‘We are extending our full support to their families at this difficult time and conducting an investigation to determine what happened,’ Laughter stated.

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