Tragedy Averted as Max Air Flight’s Four Tyres Burst During Takeoff at Yola Airport

A Max Air flight, carrying 119 passengers and six crew members, was grounded on Sunday evening after all four of its rear tyres burst during takeoff from Yola Airport.

According to a statement from Bimbo Oladeji, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), the incident occurred as flight NGL1649, a Boeing 737 with registration 5N-ADB, was preparing for takeoff en route to Abuja.

Oladeji reported, “During the takeoff roll, a loud bang was heard, identified as the bursting of the rear gear tyres. Initially, two tyres burst. While attempting to taxi off the runway, the remaining two tyres also burst, rendering the aircraft completely disabled.”

Fortunately, there were no injuries reported among the passengers and crew. The NSIB has dispatched a team, led by Director General Captain Alex Badeh Jr., to investigate the incident.

This incident follows a 2023 report by the NSIB, which criticized Max Air for overwriting the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) data from a serious incident that occurred on May 7, 2023, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The report accused the airline of ignoring directives from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority regarding CVR data preservation.

On the day of the recent incident, flight NGL1648 had departed from Abuja for Yola and was on the ground in Yola for about 30 minutes before turning around for Abuja. During takeoff, the landing gear was left extended for three minutes to cool due to high ground temperatures at Yola Airport. At 2:08 p.m., Nigerian Air Force personnel reported to the Yola Control Tower that an object resembling a tyre had fallen off the departing aircraft.