Passengers Safe After Air India Express Flight’s Hard Landing Damages Nose Gear In Phuket
Air India Express flight makes hard landing in Phuket; nose wheel damaged, passengers evacuated safely.
An Air India Express flight from Hyderabad made a hard landing at Phuket International Airport on Wednesday, damaging the aircraft’s nose landing gear and prompting authorities to temporarily shut down the runway. The flight, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, was carrying 133 passengers, all of whom were safely evacuated without any reported injuries.
According to airport authorities, the incident occurred shortly after the aircraft touched down at around 11:40 a.m. local time. Officials later confirmed that the plane experienced a hard landing, causing the nose landing gear to fail and detach, leaving the aircraft stranded on the runway. Photographs from the scene showed the broken nose wheel lying on the runway as emergency teams secured the area.
A spokesperson for Air India Express said the Hyderabad–Phuket flight experienced an issue with its nose wheel during landing. The crew followed all standard safety procedures and passengers were safely deplaned and moved to a waiting area inside the terminal. The airline thanked passengers and airport authorities for their cooperation during the incident.
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Following the landing, airport officials issued a Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM), temporarily closing the runway until 6 p.m. local time while recovery operations and safety inspections were carried out. Authorities worked to tow the damaged aircraft away from the runway, which caused temporary disruption to airport operations.
A senior official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft involved in the incident was registered as VT-BWQ and operated flight IX938 from Hyderabad to Phuket. Preliminary information suggested the aircraft may have bounced during landing on runway 9, a situation known in aviation as a “hard landing,” where the aircraft touches down with excessive vertical force.
The DGCA official also noted that both nose wheels had been replaced during routine maintenance on March 8. Aviation authorities in India and Thailand are expected to conduct a detailed investigation to determine the exact cause of the landing gear failure and assess whether mechanical issues or landing conditions contributed to the incident.
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