Aircraft Tyre Bursts At The Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos

The tyre of a Boeing 737-500 Aero Airlines aircraft burst yesterday during take-off at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MM2), Lagos.

According to a source, the 141 passengers on board the Lagos-Abuja flight were scared as the pilot initiated a return.

The spokesman of Aero Airlines, Simon Tumba, said the pilot took emergency precautionary steps by returning to base.

In a statement, Tumba said: ”Aero flight NG127 from Lagos to Abuja yesterday made an air return as a result of a burst tyre, which occurred just as the airplane was taking off.

“The pilot did the right thing by not trying to abort take-off.

“He controlled the aircraft into the air and following all trained procedures, he brought the plane back to safe landing.

“At no time during all of this were the passengers’ lives at any risk.”

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed the incident.

A statement by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Fan Ndubuoke, said the aircraft, which took off from the MM2 at 3pm for Abuja, developed technical problem and made an air return as the normal procedure.

“The aircraft, with 141 passengers on board, on arrival at the international wing of the airport, had its passengers transferred to another aircraft while some demanded for refunds. Some passengers rescheduled their flight for today.”

Ndubuoke said NCAA will investigate the incident. He assured the public of the agency’s commitment to safety and security.