Air India Express Plane Makes Hard Landing In Phuket, Nose Wheel Breaks; All Passengers Safe
An aircraft operated by Air India Express made a hard landing at Phuket International Airport, causing damage to its nose landing gear and forcing authorities to temporarily close the runway.
The flight, identified as IX 938, had departed from Hyderabad and was carrying 133 passengers when the incident occurred on Wednesday.
Nose Wheel Damaged During Landing
According to initial reports, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 experienced a problem during landing, leading to a hard touchdown that damaged the aircraft’s nose gear.
Sources said the nose landing wheel broke off, and the aircraft briefly slid along the runway before coming to a stop. Photographs from the scene showed the detached nose wheel lying on the runway.
Despite the alarming situation, all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated and moved to a passenger waiting area.
Runway Temporarily Closed
Following the incident, airport authorities issued a NOTAM (Notice to Air Mission) and closed the runway until 6 pm local time to remove the aircraft and carry out safety inspections.
Emergency teams and airport staff quickly reached the site to secure the aircraft and ensure passenger safety.
Airline Statement
In an official statement, Air India Express confirmed the incident and said the crew handled the situation according to safety procedures.
“We confirm that our Hyderabad–Phuket flight experienced an issue with the nose wheel at Phuket Airport. The crew followed all standard protocols and guests were safely deplaned,” the airline said.
Flight Details
According to flight tracking platform Flightradar24, the aircraft departed Hyderabad at 6:42 am, slightly later than its scheduled time of 6:20 am, and landed in Phuket at around 11:40 am local time.
Airport officials confirmed around 11:55 am that the aircraft had made a hard landing resulting in damage to the front landing gear.
What The Nose Wheel Does
The nose wheel is a key component of an aircraft’s landing gear system. It helps with:
- Steering during taxiing
- Supporting the front section of the aircraft
- Maintaining balance during takeoff and landing
Authorities are now expected to investigate the exact cause of the landing gear failure.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
