A Max Air B737-400 aircraft has managed to land safely in Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV) in Nigeria despite suffering multiple burst tires.
The incident occurred on May 7, 2023 when Max Air flight NGL1649 departed Yola International Airport (YOL) for ABV airport.
The B737-400 aircraft with registration 5N-MBD carried 144 passengers and 6 flight crew.
The aircraft, however, suffered two burst tires upon landing at ABV airport.
The landing was captured on video by one of the passengers onboard the flight.
In a statement released by Max Air, the airline confirmed the incident, and also reported that all passengers and crew onboard were safe.
“We are pleased to report that all passengers and crew onboard the aircraft are safe and sound. The airline has taken all necessary steps to ensure that the passengers are comfortable and are being taken cared of during this time,” the airline said in the statement.
ABV airport operates on a single runway, and due to the incident, the airport was shut down for a couple of hours.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, provided an update on Twitter that the runway reopened an hour after the Max Air aircraft had been towed.
Decrying sensational media reporting
Meanwhile, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) decried the “sensational reporting” of some media outlets that called the incident a “crash landing”.
“We, in AON, decry the penchant for sensational reporting anytime such an incident occurs,” the group said in a statement. “Tire bursts occur now and then in the industry and have nothing to do with the airline’s safety standards. Such reports only tend to create unnecessary fears in the minds of the unsuspecting flying public and, as such, counter productive.”
What causes aircraft tires to burst?
According to aircraft service provider HYDRO: “Underinflating or overinflating a tire will increase shear forces rapidly shortening the life of an aircraft tire. Common types of damage associated with these forces are shoulder separation and lower sidewall compression break. Treads can come off and casings can blow out.”
HYDRO also named foreign object debris as another major reason for aircraft tire blowouts.