In a new incident adding to the troubling record of accidents faced recently by American company Boeing, FlySafair confirmed that one of its flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town had to return after a wheel of the aircraft was damaged during takeoff.
The airline stated in a press release on Sunday that the Boeing 737 aircraft left O.R. Tambo International Airport as scheduled, but after takeoff, ground staff reported observing what appeared to be damage to one of the rear wheels of the plane. Kirby Gordon, a spokesperson for FlySafair, explained that "the crew was alerted to the observation, and the decision was made to return to Johannesburg," according to the Sunday Times.
Before landing, the aircraft flew low over O.R. Tambo so that safety teams and technical crews could visually inspect the landing gear before the final landing. Observers confirmed that one of the four rear wheels had deviated from its path during takeoff. The affected wheel was one of two connected to the left rear landing gear strut. Gordon stated that the aircraft is designed to be able to land with a faulty tire.
After two and a half hours from takeoff, the plane landed at O.R. Tambo Airport, where response vehicles were activated to meet the aircraft as a precautionary measure.
