FlySafair plane’s wheel damaged during takeoff! | Daily Sun

A FlySafair plan, similar to this one, had to return to OR Tambo after takeoff.

FlySafair confirmed that one of its flights, FA212 from Joburg to Cape Town, encountered a technical issue when one of its wheels was damaged during takeoff.

As a result, the flight returned to make an emergency landing at OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni.

In a statement on Sunday, April 21, the airline reported that the plane, bound for Cape Town, suffered damage to one of its rear tyres during take-off.

This was spotted by ground staff at OR Tambo, and the flight crew was alerted. The decision was made to return to Joburg.

Despite the damaged tyre, the plane managed to make a smooth landing, with no injuries reported on board.

“We would like to praise the FlySafair pilots and crew for their professional handling of this emergency. Their training and experience ensured that all passengers on board the plane walked away unscathed,” said Jabulani Khambule, the regional general manager.

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Following the incident, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) confirmed that one of the runways at OR Tambo International Airport would remain closed for the next few hours.

This means that operations on a single runway will result in flight delays, Khambule said.

According to Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer at FlySafair, before landing, the aircraft made a low pass over OR Tambo so that safety and technical teams could visually inspect the landing gear before the final landing.

He said the aircraft passed overhead at about 1.20pm, and observers confirmed that one of the four rear wheels had come adrift during the take-off roll.

The affected wheel was one of the two attached to the left rear landing strut, he said.

Gordon confirmed the safety of passengers and announced that customers would be transferred to a backup aircraft to proceed to Cape Town.