Air India Express flight to Phuket sparks panic after tire separates during landing; viral video shows scary moment

A routine flight from Hyderabad to Phuket turned into a tense moment for passengers on an Air India Express plane. A video shared by a traveller has gone viral, showing how a normal landing suddenly became stressful inside the aircraft.

The flight faced a nose-wheel issue while landing at Phuket International Airport.

Passenger shares frightening landing

The video begins with a calm view from inside the plane as it approaches the runway. The passenger had planned to record a normal landing, but the moment quickly became unforgettable.“This was supposed to be a normal landing video, but it turned into something I’ll never forget."The touchdown was harder than expected, and the passenger described the strong impact.“While landing in Phuket, the aircraft hit the runway so hard that my phone literally bounced out of my hand from the impact.”

Inside the cabin, passengers were seen holding onto the overhead handles as the plane landed. The cabin crew immediately instructed everyone to stay seated.“Within seconds, the cabin crew started instructing everyone to remain seated.”Passengers were later informed about the cause of the rough landing.

“We later learned that a tire had separated during the landing.”Even after the plane came to a stop, the passenger admitted they were still shaken by the incident.“Still shaking while posting this. Grateful that everyone walked out safe today.”The video also mentions the flight number, “Flight: IX 938," and Phuket International Airport.

Damage seen around landing gear

Pictures taken after the landing showed visible damage near the landing gear.

The tire had burst and there was some structural damage close to the wheel. These images confirmed that the landing had been rough.

Airline confirms nose-wheel issue

Air India Express later confirmed that the Hyderabad-Phuket flight experienced a nose-wheel problem on March 11.“We confirm that our Hyderabad-Phuket flight on 11 March experienced an issue with the nose wheel at Phuket Airport. The crew followed all standard protocols, and guests were deplaned.

We thank our guests, the Phuket airport authorities, and all stakeholders for their cooperation," the airline said, as quoted in a report by News18.

Reactions from social media

The video has received over four lakh views since being shared online. Many viewers praised the crew and expressed relief that everyone was safe.One user wrote, “Take care bro…good to see that u remain calm and handled it quite nicely…sometimes hard landings do happen bcoz of variable winds or training flights."Another commented, “So glad to see everyone is safe & sound."A third user added, “Hats off to the pilots who landed safely… Don’t see the negative side… Incidents or accidents occur unintentionally… This might be due to wind issues while runway approach… Anyways, all are safe…”One person also shared a personal connection with the crew, saying, “My girlfriend is a cabin crew and she was operating this flight. She cried while we discussed this incident over a call.”Thumb image: X/ @aviation_on_x