Flooded Cabin, Trump Visit, Tire Trouble: O'Hare's Eventful 2026

CHICAGO — A flooded airplane cabin brought a Frontier Airlines flight to O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday, adding another unusual chapter to a year that has included blown aircraft tires, an alleged surveillance operation and a coyote reportedly interrupting arriving flights.

Frontier Flight 3566 was traveling from Denver to Detroit when a faucet in the forward bathroom sprang a leak, sending water along the aircraft floor, the airline told ABC7 Chicago. The plane diverted to O'Hare and landed safely. No injuries were reported, and passengers were expected to continue on another aircraft.

It wasn't the airport's only emergency response Wednesday. A United Airlines flight arriving from Tokyo declared an emergency involving an unruly passenger. Chicago police said a man was taken to a hospital for evaluation after landing, ABC7 reported.

The latest developments join a wide-ranging collection of O'Hare stories covered by Patch reporters and news partners this year, spanning aircraft problems, border encounters, public health and changes to travelers' flight options.

TIRE TROUBLE PROMPTS EMERGENCY RESPONSES

Aircraft tire problems became a recurring story during the summer. On Aug. 13, United Flight 455 aborted its takeoff for Phoenix after sustaining tire damage. Passengers deplaned on a taxiway, and no injuries were reported.

Four days later, emergency vehicles surrounded an American Airlines aircraft. Subsequent reporting identified that incident as involving two blown tires after American Flight 386 arrived from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Another aircraft experienced tire damage hours later.

By Aug. 26, when a Charlotte-bound American flight experienced two blown tires while taxiing for departure, Patch had documented four O'Hare aircraft with tire problems that month. No common cause had been publicly identified at the time.

The issue returned to the headlines Oct. 20, when American Flight 41 from Barcelona experienced a brake issue and a blown tire after landing. Passengers were bused to the terminal, and the FAA said it would investigate.

AIRPORT PHOTOGRAPHS DRAW FBI SCRUTINY

A separate case has raised questions about alleged intelligence gathering at O'Hare.

Weiheng Zeng, a Chinese citizen studying at Canada's University of Waterloo, is accused of making false statements during a federal investigation involving photographs taken at airport facilities in Chicago and Toronto.

According to reporting on the FBI complaint, employees at O’Hare's FedEx facility spotted a man photographing aircraft, climbing a forklift and attempting to open locked trailers in April. Investigators later linked a vehicle seen there to Zeng.

Authorities allege Zeng eventually told investigators that a contact he believed worked for Chinese security services paid him for photography assignments and instructed him to delete communications and destroy SIM cards. ABC7 examined the case this week.

Zeng pleaded not guilty Nov. 9 in federal court in Detroit. His charge is making false statements, and the allegations have not been proven. The Canadian Press reported that his trial is scheduled for January.

FLIGHT CAPS AND SOUTHWEST'S DEPARTURE

Some of the year's biggest developments affected flight schedules rather than individual aircraft.

In April, federal officials announced a summer limit of 2,708 daily operations, citing congestion and poor on-time performance during the previous summer.

United subsequently told employees it would reduce its planned June schedule from 780 to 650 daily flights. The summer scheduling restriction was set to run through the end of October.

Southwest, meanwhile, announced it would discontinue O’Hare service effective June 4. The airline described operating there as challenging and said it would continue serving the region from Midway. A subsequent report on an Illinois layoff notice identified 107 affected O’Hare workers.

WEATHER AND STAFFING DISRUPT TRAVEL

Travelers also faced disruptions affecting hundreds of flights at a time.

On March 15, Patch reported 793 O’Hare cancellations within a 24-hour period as the region faced thunderstorms, snow and dangerous winds.

On March 21, an hours-long ground delay attributed to staffing shortages held incoming aircraft at their departure airports.

Thunderstorms brought another major disruption June 11. By early afternoon, O’Hare had recorded 704 delays and 283 cancellations, according to Patch’s coverage that day.

BORDER ENCOUNTERS AND FEDERAL CASES

O'Hare's role as an international gateway generated its own headlines.

In June, Iraq striker Aymen Hussein underwent additional screening before entering the United States, while national team photographer Talal Salah was denied entry, according to reporting cited by Patch.

Earlier in the year, masked immigration agents were reported at O’Hare during the partial federal government shutdown, following the administration's announcement that agents would assist at airports.

A separate, disputed detention account drew attention in March when supporters said Skokie resident Sunny Naqvi had been held after arriving at O'Hare. Federal authorities rejected that account, saying she left within 90 minutes. In April, a Wisconsin sheriff challenged her claims and filed a defamation lawsuit.

Other federal enforcement stories included a June charge accusing a Chicago teacher of transporting child sexual abuse material on a flight from O’Hare to Mexico. Mexican authorities discovered the alleged material after arrival, prosecutors said. A charge is an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

This week, CBS Chicago reported a Halloween seizure of counterfeit luxury watches, counterfeit earbuds and steroids from a shipment passing through O'Hare.

HEALTH ALERTS AND WORKPLACE FINDINGS

Public health officials issued multiple airport-related alerts during the year.

In March, Cook County officials identified a possible measles exposure at Terminal 5, along with several suburban locations. A separate June warning involved an international traveler who arrived at Terminal 5.

In May, O’Hare began additional traveler screening in response to an Ebola outbreak overseas. Federal officials said at the time that the risk to the general public was low.

Airport employees also came under scrutiny. In April, CBS Chicago reported inspector general findings that eight Department of Aviation employees drank alcohol while on the clock.

A COYOTE, A DIVERSION AND A SEARCH THAT ENDED SAFELY

Some stories were especially unusual.

On June 16, an aviation-tracking account reported that a coyote on a runway prompted multiple go-arounds. Patch's report noted that the account had not yet been independently confirmed by airport or federal aviation officials.

Passenger behavior also prompted diversions. In January, a United flight traveling from Washington Dulles to San Francisco landed at O’Hare after a passenger became disruptive, the airline said. Law enforcement removed the passenger.

And a missing-person search received international attention when NBA star Victor Wembanyama asked for help finding a friend who had not boarded his flight home to France. On March 4, Wembanyama announced that Elijah Hoard had been found safe.

BUSY IN THE AIR, NOTICEABLE ON THE GROUND

The year also brought recognition of O'Hare's scale. In April, new rankings placed it first worldwide for aircraft operations in 2025, with 860,015 takeoffs and landings. The ranking measured aircraft movements, rather than passenger totals.

That activity remained a concern for neighboring communities. In October, Elmhurst officials reported 544 aircraft noise complaints from eight households during August, compared with 377 complaints from seven households in July 2025.

A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT AND AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS

O’Hare also welcomed Air Force One on Sept. 27, when President Donald Trump arrived to attend the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Medinah Country Club. The trip marked his first Illinois visit of his second term, according to Capitol News Illinois.

The visit brought temporary airspace restrictions — and repeated violations. NORAD told the Chicago Sun-Times that 15 private aircraft violated the restrictions during Trump's visit, prompting fighter aircraft responses. The command described the number as a "highly anomalous and significant spike for a single weekend."

MORE O'HARE COVERAGE FROM PATCH

• United Flight Suffers Tire Damage During Takeoff At O’Hare
• Emergency Response Surrounds American Airlines Plane At O’Hare
• American Airlines Plane Blows 2 Tires At O’Hare, Latest In String Of Incidents
• Tire Blows On Plane At O’Hare After Brake Issue: Authorities
• Coyote Reportedly Causes Go-Arounds At O’Hare
• Southwest Airlines Ending Flights At ‘Challenging’ O’Hare
• Illinois Quick Hits: Southwest To Lay Off 107 As O’Hare Service Ends
• FAA Mandate Forces United Airlines To Cut Over 100 Daily Flights At ‘Hometown’ O’Hare
• Feds Cutting Hundreds Of Daily Flights At O’Hare Due To ‘Endless’ Delays
• O’Hare Reclaims No. 1 Spot As World’s Busiest Airport: Study
• O’Hare Busier, Elmhurst Complaints Rise By Nearly 50%: Official
• Ground Stops Delay Over 800 Flights At O’Hare, Midway Due To Thunderstorms
• 1,000 Flights Canceled At Chicago Airports Ahead Of Snow, Dangerous Winds
• Hundreds Of Flights Delayed At O’Hare Airport As Ground Delay Issued
• Iraq World Cup Player Questioned At O’Hare, Photographer Denied Entry: Report
• Masked ICE Agents Spotted At O’Hare Following Trump Threat: Report
• Elected Officials, Family Of Skokie Woman Detained At O’Hare Call For Transparency
• Illinois Woman Lied About Being Detained By ICE For 2 Days: Wisconsin Authorities
• Chicago Teacher Charged With Transporting Child Porn Via O’Hare Flight
• Customs Officers Seize $6 Million Worth Of Counterfeit Watches At O’Hare International Airport
• Possible Measles Exposures Reported At O’Hare, Other Public Spots: Cook County Health
• Officials Warn Of Measles Exposure At Terminal 5 At O’Hare International Airport
• Ebola Screenings Start At O’Hare In Response To Outbreak
• Inspector General Finds O’Hare Airport Workers Drinking On The Job, CPD Employees Committing PPP Fraud
• United Airlines Flight From D.C. To San Francisco Diverted To Chicago Due To Unruly Passenger
• NBA Star Says Man Who Went Missing At O’Hare ‘Found Safe’