It was the wheel of misfortune.
A Norwegian flight began with a bang after a tire exploded shortly after takeoff, forcing the pilots to execute an emergency landing.
The Boeing 737 had reportedly just departed Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday en route to Paris, France, when passengers heard what sounded like an explosion
“During takeoff, a tire explosion occurred,” Sara Eriksson, press manager at Sweden’s Maritime and Flight Control Center (JRCC), told local media.
She reported that the impromptu blowout reportedly left some “tire debris” on the runway.
“We take all incidents like this seriously,” Eriksson added. “It’s not very common.”
As a result of the mishap, the pilots were forced to turn around and ferry all 181 passengers back to Stockholm.
During a flyby, they noticed that the tire was deflated and prepared for a “hard landing,” according to the JRCC spokeswoman.
Thankfully, the captains were able to touch down safely at 11 a.m. local time, after which first responders rushed onto the runway.
“I can understand that it might feel unsettling, but the landing was carried out without drama,” a Norwegian spokesperson said.
The cause of the in-flight flat is yet unclear, but airplane tires can burst for various reasons, including debris on the runway, overheating and underinflation, the Daily Express reported.
In a similar incident in January, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operated by Etihad Airways was forced to abort its flight from Melbourne, Australia to Abu Dhabi when two tires allegedly burst shortly after takeoff.
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