Azman Flight with over 100 Passengers Bursts Tyre on Landing at MMIA

A major accident was averted yesterday when Azman Air flight coming from Abuja landed and bursted one of its tyres at the 18L runway of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

No casualty was recorded among the over 100 passengers on board the flight, as they were quickly evacuated.

The aircraft could not move from the runway after the incident, forcing subsequent flights to be delayed and later diverted to the international runway, known as 18R.

The incident involved a Boeing 737-500 with registration number 5N-SYS, named Sani Yunusa Sarina.

Eyewitness account said the busted tyre, which was “in tatters,” forced complete closure of the domestic runway and delay of flights, as airlines waited to be rescheduled to the use of Runway 18R by the Air Traffic Controllers.

TheNigerialawyer learnt that fire service men of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were on ground to immediately evacuate the passengers to protect them from possible fire eruption in the aircraft.

Our correspondent learnt that the incident happened due to bad weather. The Captain-in-Command of the flight was unable to land on the first approach at the airport.

A source said: “The weather in Lagos was very bad at the time the aircraft was about to land. The pilot tried to land on the first approach but the weather was so bad due to the heavy downpour in some parts of the state.

“However, he landed on a second approach and while landing, the aircraft suffered a burst tyre in an attempt to ensure the aircraft did not skid off the runway.”

As a result of the incident, several flights from Abuja, Port Harcourt and other parts of the country were affected.

A passenger on a Port Harcourt-Lagos flight told our correspondent that there was an announcement from the cabin crew that: “No plane can land in Lagos at the moment” while they were asked to disembark pending when they receive clearance from Lagos.”

A spokesperson with Azman Airline, Mr Nura Aliyu, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, blaming it on bad weather.

He said the situation was under control, adding that passengers were calm and that there was no panic.

As of the time of filing this report, the engineers of the airline were making efforts to evacuate the aircraft from the runway, according to the spokesman.

Another official of the airport, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: “An Azman Airlines plane was involved in an incident in Lagos. It lost its tyre on landing. No casualty. Passengers evacuated. Aircraft about being towed.”