A Max Air flight carrying 119 passengers and six crew members was grounded on Sunday after four of its tyres burst during takeoff from Yola Airport.
According to a statement from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) provided to PUNCH Online, the incident occurred when the aircraft's rear gear tyres burst as it began its takeoff roll. The initial tyre burst was followed by the failure of the remaining tyres while the aircraft was taxiing off the runway.
The NSIB Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Bimbo Oladeji, confirmed that no injuries or fatalities were reported. The statement detailed that Max Air's flight NGL1649, a Boeing 737 registered as 5N-ADB, was en route to Abuja when the incident occurred.
"During takeoff, a loud bang was heard, identified as the bursting of the rear gear tyres. Initially, two tyres burst. As the aircraft attempted to taxi off the runway, the remaining two tyres also burst, rendering the aircraft inoperable," Oladeji said.
A response team led by NSIB Director General Captain Alex Badeh Jr. is scheduled to investigate the incident on-site the following morning.
In a related note, past reports by the NSIB have raised concerns about Max Air's practices. A 2023 report criticized the airline for overwriting critical Cockpit Voice Recorder data and not adhering to Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority regulations.
Earlier in 2023, similar issues were reported involving the airline’s aircraft. A landing gear was noted to have been left extended for three minutes to cool down due to high temperatures at Yola Airport. Additionally, Nigerian Air Force personnel reported an object resembling a tyre falling from the departing aircraft.
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