The first rear gear tire on the Max Air aircraft, which was carrying 119 passengers and 6 crew members, burst before it was cleared for takeoff, and the other two followed suit as it attempted to taxi off the runway.
There were no reported injuries or fatalities from the development.
The statement said, “This evening, Yola Airport was cleared for the takeoff of Max Air’s flight NGL1649, a Boeing 737 with registration 5N-ADB, carrying 119 passengers and six crew members en route to Abuja.
“A loud bang was heard during takeoff roll, which was later determined to be the rear gear tyre bursting.” At first, two of the tires blew. The airplane was totally disabled when the other two tires exploded during the takeoff attempt.
Thankfully, there were no reported injuries. Tomorrow am, a go-team headed by NSIB Director General Captain Alex Badeh Jr. will visit the scene to carry out an inquiry.
The airline was accused of overwriting the cockpit voice recorder of a serious incident that happened on May 7, 2023, during landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, according to an NSIB report from that year.
