Air Crash Averted As Aero Aircraft Loses Tyre

NIGERIA: Another air crash was averted today at the Muritala International Airport, Lagos Nigeria. There was panic amongst 100 passengers on board Aero flight NG127, which had taken off from Lagos and was bound for  Abuja on Tuesday, as it was discovered that the aircraft had lost a tire
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News reaching WATs says the plane successfully took off but the pilot had to return to the airport when the discovery was made. No one was hurt, and passengers, who still wished to continue with their journey, were transferred to other flights.

Speaking with Emma, one of the passengers on-board, "if the pilot didn’t even know that his aircraft had lost a tyre because he took off from the ground. It was after those of us who were close to the door started screaming that he realised what had happened. The pilot later made an emergency return mid-air, and this happened around 4 p.m. In fact, it was when we landed that we noticed that it was a serious tyre burst. But nobody was hurt and we must appreciate the pilot’s maturity and professionalism in handling the situation and landing the plane with a burst tyre.”

Reacting to the story on behalf of the airline, Simon Tumba stated:

“Aero flight NG127 from Lagos to Abuja on this day (Tuesday) made an air return as a result of a burst tyre, which occurred just as the airplane was lifting off. The pilot did the right thing by not trying to abort the take off. He controlled the airplane into the air and following all training procedures, he brought the plane back to a safe landing. At no time during all of this were the passengers’ lives at any risk.