Oregon Dual Wheels Engine Incident 2017

Vale District BLM Engine 3651 was traveling south on State Highway 78 near Princeton, Oregon. They were returning back to station at Burns Junction from a two-week fire assignment. As the Operator felt a change in driving characteristics in the engine handling, a wheel from the driver-side rear duals passed them and came to rest in an agricultural field. The second wheel came off and crossed the northbound lane into a sage flat. (This wheel remains unrecovered.) The Operator did not immediately apply brakes—but calmly maintained the engine in the highway lane—and was able to safely maneuver the vehicle to the right side of the highway into a driveway, out of traffic.

Driving, RLS, Engines, Engine Incident