Delta Worker Killed in Atlanta Airport Tire Explosion Was Nearing Retirement, His Wife Says: 'I'm in Disbelief'

Mar. 15, 2025

Mirko Marweg.Photo:Mirko Marweg/Facebook

Mirko Marweg

Mirko Marweg/Facebook

The widow of a Delta Air Lines workerwho was one of two people killed in a reported tire explosionat the Atlanta airport earlier this week says her husband was less than a year away from retirement.

The couple was married for 28 years. Mirko was the father of four children.

“I don’t know how I’m feeling. I’m in disbelief,” Scottie Ann told the station. “It’s so weird. We’ve been together so long.”

She also said of her late husband: “He had a big heart, a big smile. He would help anybody. He loved his family. He was a planner. He was smart.”

Mirko and a fellow Delta worker, Luis Aldarondo, 37, of Newman, Ga., died in the incident at a maintenance facility at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

TheAssociated Pressand local media outlets described what happened as an explosion at the facility.

TheAtlanta Journal-Constitutionand local stationWSBreported the victims’ identities, citing the medical examiner’s office. Another person was seriously injured, Delta officials previously said.

Multiple Atlanta Fire Rescue Department units and police park outside a Delta Maintenance facility near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Aug. 27, 2024.John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Multiple Atlanta Fire Rescue Department units and police park outside a Delta Maintenance facility near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport early Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024 in Atlanta.

John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Coleman said that he was in a state of shock upon hearing the news of his father’s death. “If I could tell him something right now,” Coleman said, “I would tell him no more suffering. You had your time here with us now it’s time for you to be with God.”

Delta has said the incident happened when wheel components were being taken apart for maintenance at a wheel and brake shop, the AP reported.

The airline said that the components were not affixed to an aircraft at the time of the explosion.

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Officials with the airline characterized the incident as an “accident.”

In a statement, Delta wrote: “We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time. The Delta family is grateful for the quick action of first responders and medical teams on site. We are now working with local authorities and conducting a full investigation to determine what happened.”

In a previous statement to PEOPLE, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was aware of the incident and in communication with the airline.

TheInternational Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers(IAM), a union that represents more than 100,000 members in the airline industry in North America, posted a news release about the explosion on its website, expressing condolences to the victims’ families.

“We stand in unity with Delta workers during this difficult time and we call on Delta and the relevant authorities to quickly launch a thorough investigation into how this happened,” the union’s statement concluded.

source: people.com