Air India Express Plane Makes Hard Landing At Phuket Airport; Nose Gear Damaged, Wheels Broken

Bangkok: A passenger plane belonging to Indian airline Air India Express narrowly escaped a crash today (Wednesday, March 11) when it made a hard landing at Phuket International Airport in Thailand. The plane's nose gear suffered severe damage. However, all 133 passengers on board were safe and safely evacuated. Following the incident, airport authorities issued a NOTAM (Notice to Air Mission) and closed the runway until 6:00 PM local time.

How did the accident happen?

The plane, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was traveling from Hyderabad to Phuket. Flight IX 938 departed Hyderabad at 6:42 AM and made a hard landing at Phuket Airport at approximately 11:40 AM local time. According to sources, the plane's nose landing gear experienced a problem during landing, causing the front wheel to break, and the plane skidded for some distance on the runway. Photos from the scene also showed a broken nose wheel on the runway.

Was the runway closed?

Following the incident, the airport administration immediately issued a NOTAM (Notice to Air Mission), closing the runway until 6 p.m. local time, to allow for the aircraft's removal and safety checks. This is expected to impact some flight operations. Emergency rescue teams and airport officials arrived at the scene immediately after the incident. All passengers were safely evacuated and transported to the airport waiting area. An Air India Express spokesperson stated that the crew followed all standard safety procedures and that passenger safety was the top priority.

Why is the nose gear important?

The nose gear is a critical component of the aircraft's landing system, supporting the aircraft's nose and assisting in directional control during taxiing, takeoff, and landing. Technical teams are currently investigating the incident and determining how the malfunction occurred during landing. According to flight tracking website flightradar24.com, Flight IX 938 took off from Hyderabad at 6:42 a.m. instead of its scheduled departure time of 6:20 a.m. and landed at Phuket International Airport at 11:40 a.m. local time. At around 11:55 a.m., airport officials confirmed that the aircraft had made a hard landing, causing damage to the front landing gear.