Definition
The carcass is the main structural body of an aircraft tire, made up of layers of rubber-coated fabric cords (plies) anchored to the bead wires at each side. It gives the tire its shape, contains the inflation pressure, and carries the loads transmitted from the wheel to the tread and ground.
Plain English
The carcass is the inner skeleton of the tire — the layered fabric body underneath the tread that holds the tire's shape and takes the weight of the aircraft.
Context Anchor
Seen during aircraft tire construction, inspection, damage assessment, and maintenance discussions.
Derivation
From the French 'carcasse,' meaning a framework or skeleton. In tire work it refers to the underlying structure beneath the visible tread — the framework that does the real load-carrying.
Why Pilots Care
Damage that reaches the carcass (cuts exposing the cord plies, bulges, or separations) means the tire is no longer airworthy and must be removed from service. Tread wear alone is normal; carcass damage is not.
Analogy
The carcass is like the frame inside a backpack: the outside may be what you see, but the hidden structure is what carries the load.
Intuition Check
Do not read carcass here as a dead animal. In aircraft tire maintenance, carcass means the tire’s inner structural body.
Example Sentence 1
During the preflight walkaround, the pilot noticed a deep cut in the tire that exposed the carcass plies, so the aircraft was grounded until the tire could be replaced.
Example Sentence 2
A weakened carcass can cause the tire to fail under the weight of the aircraft.