HYDERABAD: A major aviation incident was narrowly averted on Wednesday after an Air India Express flight from Hyderabad made a hard landing at Phuket International Airport in Thailand, resulting in the detachment of the aircraft’s nose wheels and forcing the temporary closure of the runway.
The aircraft (IX938) from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to Phuket bounced during touchdown. On the second contact, both nose wheels reportedly detached, leaving the aircraft stuck on the runway and prompting authorities to halt flight operations.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with registration number VT-BWQ. It departed Hyderabad at 6.42 am and arrived in Phuket at 11.24 am, ahead of its scheduled landing time of 11.40 am.
According to sources, there were 133 passengers, including two infants, and seven crew members on board at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported and passengers were safely deplaned and taken to the terminal building.
A video of the landing, which quickly went viral on social media, shows the aircraft bouncing once after touching down before making a second, harder contact. The impact caused both nose wheels to detach, leaving the aircraft immobilised on the runway.
Airport authorities shut down the runway and began efforts to tow the aircraft to the bay. The closure triggered disruption at the busy tourist hub, with several flights either cancelled or diverted to nearby airports.
In a statement, an Air India Express spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying, “We confirm that our Hyderabad-Phuket flight on March 11 experienced an issue with the nose wheel at Phuket Airport.
The crew followed all standard protocols and guests were safely deplaned. We thank our guests, the Phuket airport authorities and all stakeholders for their cooperation.”
Later, the airline said the nose wheels had been installed on the aircraft, allowing normal airport operations to resume. It also apologised for the incident and said it would be investigated in accordance with established procedures.
The airport officials issued a Notice to Airmen announcing the temporary closure of the runway from 12.08 pm to 6 pm while emergency teams worked to clear the aircraft and restore operations.
According to Prashanth Kumar, a commercial pilot, nose wheel detachment during landing is uncommon but can occur during severe landing impacts.
He explained that during a normal landing, the main landing gear — the rear wheels — touch the runway first, followed by the nose gear. If the aircraft descends too rapidly or bounces and lands again with excessive force, the nose gear can strike the runway harder than intended.
“Aircraft landing gear systems are designed to absorb heavy impact loads and, in extreme situations, fail in a controlled manner to prevent more serious structural damage to the fuselage or fuel tanks. Such features help ensure the safety of passengers even in unusual landing scenarios,” he added.