Max Air Flight VM1605 with aircraft registration number: 5N-MBD on Tuesday night suffered tyre burst on landing at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
The flight had 53 passengers and six crew onboard who suffered no injuries.
Eye witness account indicated that the aircraft had tyre burst on landing at 22:57pm (Nigerian time).
The flight VM1605 had earlier departed the Murtala Muhammed Muhammed (MMA), Lagos for Kano.
It was however gathered that all the passengers onboard the flight were evacuated safely from the aircraft without any major injuries.
Reports indicated that the aircraft may have lost the nose landing gear tyre (nosewheel) during landing, thereby leading to the serious incident.
A journalist who was one of the passengers on board, described the terrifying moment and said that immediately after the tire burst into flames, smoke filled the cabin, and the passengers had to be evacuated through the emergency exit.
“Firefighters arrived quickly and sprayed water to contain the flames,” the journalist said.
Max Air’s Station Manager, Malam Bello Ramadan, confirmed that all passengers and crew were safely evacuated, expressing gratitude that there were no casualties.
“I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and thank God for everyone’s safety. The well-being of our passengers and crew is always our top priority,” he stated.
According to Ramadan, the airline followed standard safety procedures, ensuring the swift evacuation of passengers and isolating the pilots while coordinating with aviation authorities.
He further disclosed that Max Air is cooperating with the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Aircraft and Equipment Department (AED) to determine the cause of the incident.
“Preliminary findings suggest a tire malfunction, but we will fully support the investigation to establish the exact cause and enhance safety measures,” he assured.
Ramadan also promised that affected passengers would soon recover their belongings, acknowledging the distress caused by the emergency landing.
Chinedu Eze
Follow us on: