An aircraft operated by Air India Express made a hard landing at Phuket International Airport in Thailand on Tuesday, causing significant damage to the plane’s nose landing gear and forcing authorities to temporarily shut down the runway for safety checks.
The flight, identified as IX 938, had departed from Hyderabad and was carrying 133 passengers when the incident occurred during landing. According to officials, the aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
Hard Landing Damages Nose Gear
Sources said the aircraft encountered a problem during touchdown, which resulted in the nose landing gear breaking. The plane reportedly slid along the runway before coming to a halt. Photographs from the scene showed the broken nose wheel lying on the runway, highlighting the extent of the damage.
Emergency response teams and airport authorities immediately rushed to the spot to secure the area and assist passengers and crew. All passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft and moved to a passenger waiting area inside the airport terminal.
Runway Closed After Incident
Following the incident, airport authorities issued a Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) and temporarily closed the runway to allow emergency crews to clear the aircraft and carry out safety inspections. The closure briefly affected flight operations at the busy international airport.
The nose wheel plays a crucial role in aircraft operations, as it helps support the forward section of the plane and is essential for steering during taxiing, takeoff, and landing.
Airline Confirms Incident
In an official statement, Air India Express confirmed the incident and said that the crew followed all standard safety procedures during the emergency.
“We confirm that our Hyderabad–Phuket flight experienced an issue with the nose wheel during landing at Phuket Airport. The crew followed all standard protocols, and passengers were safely deplaned,” an airline spokesperson said.
The airline also thanked passengers, airport authorities and emergency teams for their cooperation in managing the situation.
Flight Details and Investigation
According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the flight took off from Hyderabad at 6:42 am, slightly later than its scheduled departure time of 6:20 am. It landed at Phuket at around 11:40 am local time, with airport officials confirming the hard landing at approximately 11:55 am.
After the damaged components were addressed and safety checks completed, the runway was reopened and normal operations gradually resumed.
The airline has apologised for the incident and stated that a formal investigation will be conducted in accordance with established aviation safety procedures to determine the exact cause of the hard landing.
