No fewer than 53 air passengers and crew members aboard a Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to Max Air escaped death when the plane suffered a burst tyre and crash landed at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on Tuesday night.
According to an eyewitness report by one of the passengers, the tyre of the plane was said to have caught fire immediately after touching down before skidding off the runway.
“The front tire burst into flames upon landing, filling the cabin with smoke. We had to evacuate quickly through the emergency exit. Firefighters were already dousing the flames as we got out,” the passenger who identified himself as Aliyu Inuwa Mansir, told journalists.
A statement on Wednesday from the management of the airline which confirmed the incident, said the aircraft marked 5N-MB suffered the incident around 10.57pm.
The statement which was issued by Max Air’s Kano Station Manager, Malam Bello Ramalan, noted that there was no casualty as everyone onboard was safely evacuated.
Ramalan explained that the airline is currently collaborating with the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Aircraft and Equipment Department (AED) to determine the cause of the incident.
“We wish to inform the public that one of our aircraft experienced an incident upon landing in Kano yesterday,” Ramalan said in the statement posted on the airline’s official X page.
“There were no injuries, and the aircraft has since been removed from the runway as of 04:28.
He added that the airport runway will remain temporarily closed for inspection and clearance, which may lead to some delays in flight operations on Wednesday.
Also commenting on the incident,
Tunde Moshood, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Development, Festus Keyamo, said the affected aircraft has been removed from the runway.
“The disabled MaxAir 5NMBD that had a burst tyre on landing yesterday has been removed from the runway,” Moshood said in a post on X on Wednesday.
“Sweeping of the runway is ongoing, and NOTAM will be cancelled after inspection. Runway 06/24 is now open for normal operations,” Moshood added.