Vietnam Airlines's Airbus 321 landed at Noi Bai Airport on January 8 with all 162 passengers safely disembarked after one of its landing gear tires were reported to be flat shortly after takeoff. (Source: atgt.vn)Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam Airlines's Airbus 321 No. VN601 bound for Hanoi from central Da Nang city landed at Noi Bai International Airport on January 8 with all 162 passengers safely disembarked after one of the airplane's landing gear tires were reported to be flat shortly after takeoff.
The landing at 10.24 am on January 8 was some 27 minutes behind schedule.
Report of the technical failure triggered the airport's emergency response system, which constantly provided the crew with guidance and ground support to assist them during the landing, according to Head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam Lai Xuan Thanh.
Thanh said initial investigation into the incident showed there was a cut on the flat tire, which was caused likely by a foreign object, but no abnormality was found with the Da Nang Airport's runway.
The country's head of aviation authority said both the crew and the airport staff showed calmness and good judgment in handling of the incident.
This is the first time a Vietnam Airlines airplane experienced a flat tire landing emergency. The VN601 became part of the country's flag carrier in 2013 with its latest maintenance performed in October last year.-VNA
