When you go through as many tires as Tac Air jets go through, you're going to get a bad one from time to time.

That's why there are procedures for dealing with tires.

The sidewall on an aircraft tire is the thinnest, most flexible part, so it blows first. So the procedure is to always approach a tire, especially when it is hot, from forward or behind, not from the side.

If you do that and the tire goes, you can still be hurt, but usually just arms, which you are reaching over to attache the pressure gauge or fill line. But fatal injuries are unheard of if the procedures are followed.

It's entirely possible that in our current society that we're getting more bad tires coming down the line, but if the proper procedure is followed every time, that won't increase fatalities.