British Airways plane wheel collapses after landing

The front wheel of a British Airways plane collapsed on a runway in Johannesburg this morning shortly after landing.

The BA Boeing 737-400, operated by franchise Comair, had touched down at OR Tambo International Airport in the South African city having flown in from Port Elizabeth, just before the crew noticed “an unusual vibration” before the plane’s left wheel collapsed. The plane was carrying 94 passengers and six crew.

Renaldo Gouws posted pictures on Facebook of the plane languishing on the runway:

A photo posted on social media shows the collapsed wheel  Photo: Warren Mann

A statement from Comair said that all passengers and crew disembarked safely and no one was injured.

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The statement read: “The incident involving a Boeing 737-400, registration ZS-OAA, experienced a failure with the landing gear shortly after touching down. The aircraft was on the runway for a short period performing standard landing procedures when the crew noticed an unusual vibration which was followed shortly by the collapse of the left landing gear. ACSA emergency services were dispatched and responded to the scene immediately and assisted passengers and crew to safely disembark.”

The South African travel company said that the runway had been closed while the emergency services were dealing with the aircraft.

The airport released a statement on Twitter that said that an investigation into the incident will begin shortly:

4/5 Passengers have been taken to the terminal building where staff are on hand. Comair and the relevant authorities will be conducting

— ORTambo (@ortambo_int) October 26, 2015

5/5 the necessary investigation over the coming days and weeks. As soon as more information is on hand we will be releasing it to the media.

— ORTambo (@ortambo_int) October 26, 2015