The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into an incident in Las Vegas in which a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 landed, apparently with its right main landing gear on fire.
“As Flight 1326 from San Diego to Las Vegas was in the process of landing at LAS this afternoon at approximately 3.15p PT, the pilots detected smoke and declared an emergency,” the Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier posted on social media on 6 October.
“The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew were evacuated via air stairs. No injuries were reported, and passengers have been bussed to the terminal.”
There were 190 passengers and seven crew members on board the aircraft, Frontier adds. The aircraft involved in the incident appears to have carried the registration N701FR, which entered service in 2015, according to Cirium fleets data.
A video posted to X, formerly Twitter, shows the aircraft rolling out on one of the airport’s east-west runways with its right main gear in flames. Fire-fighting equipment is shown waiting on the apron until the aircraft comes to a complete stop. The trucks then approach the aircraft and extinguish the fire.
In May, the carrier shifted its network strategy and embraced changes to its product offerings, including introducing “transparent pricing” and eliminating most change and cancellation fees. The move is a major departure from the traditional ultra-low-cost carrier fare model, with the airline embracing a fee structure similar to that of major US airlines.
Frontier is expected to announce third-quarter results later this month.
