One of Nigerian carrier Max Air’s Boeing 737s has been involved in a landing incident at Kano during which the jet came to rest on its forward fuselage.
The 737-400 experienced a “nose-wheel landing-gear collapse” while landing at 22:50 on 28 January, says Nigerian federal airports authority FAAN.
It identifies the twinjet as 5N-MBD, which was originally delivered to Thai Airways in 1997, and states that it was transporting 53 passengers and six crew members.
The airline – which is based at Kano – says none of the occupants was injured, but the Kano airport runway was temporarily closed for inspection.
“One of our aircraft experienced an incident upon landing in Kano,” says the carrier.
“Our crew handled the situation professionally, ensuring the safe evacuation of all passengers and crew members.”
It states that none of the occupants was injured, and the aircraft was removed from the runway by 05:30 local time. The runway re-opened at 08:00.
Kano’s primary runway, designated 06/24, has a length of 3,300m.
The airports authority, which states that the 737 also suffered a rear tyre burst, says the aircraft has been towed to a bay for inspection.
Nigeria’s Safety Investigation Bureau is conducting a probe into the occurrence but has yet to disclose any findings.
The bureau opened an inquiry into a serious event involving the same aircraft less than two years ago.
As the 737 took off from Yola for Abuja on 7 May 2023, a wheel from the left-hand main landing-gear fell off the aircraft. The wheel assembly sustained damage, including shredding of the remaining tyre, upon landing.
This incident was one of a series of occurrences in the space of a few weeks, and prompted the Nigerian civil aviation regulator to impose a temporary suspension of Max Air’s operations with 737s.
