The affected tyre
Olajide said no one was killed or injured as a result of the incident.
The statement said, “This evening, Max Air flight NGL1649, a Boeing 737, registered as 5N-ADB, carrying 119 passengers and six crew members, was cleared for departure from Yola airport bound for Abuja.
“During the collision, a loud bang was heard, and a rear gear tire was seen to explode. Initially, two tires blew. The other two tires also blew during an attempt to taxi off the runway, rendering the aircraft completely inoperable.
“Fortunately, no injuries were reported. A GO team led by NSIB Director General Captain Alex Badeh Jr. will visit the scene tomorrow morning to investigate.
The 2023 NSIB report accused the airline of recording on the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) a serious incident that occurred on May 7, 2023, during landing at the Nnamdi-Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The report also accused the airline of ignoring the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s letter to all operators (NCAA/FSG/AOL/19/03) on continuous CVR violations.
The incident occurred after flight NGL1648 of the same airline left Abuja for Yola. The NSIB report noted that the plane landed in Yola for about 30 minutes before returning to Abuja.
After takeoff, it was gathered that the landing gear was left extended for three minutes to cool down due to the high geothermal temperature at Yola airport but at 2:08 pm, Nigeria Air Force personnel at the Air Force base near runway 35 notified Yola control tower: “Departing NGL1649. “A tire-like object” fell off the car”.
