NEW DELHI: An Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX with 138 people on board made a hard landing in Phuket on Wednesday. The aircraft, which had taken off from Hyderabad, reportedly bounced once after the hard touchdown and then on the second contact with the runway, both the nose wheels got detached. It then got stuck on the runway and the airport was closed for flights till its sole airstrip becomes available again after required checks.Luckily no one on board was injured. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is in touch with Thailand aviation authorities. The aircraft is grounded there and the airline will send its engineers to repair the same. “The aircraft (VT-BWQ) operating flight IX 938 (Hyderabad-Phuket) was involved in suspected hard landing with bounce while landing at runway 09, Phuket. Passengers were deplaned on the runway and taken to terminal building. The aircraft was towed to the bay. On March 8, 2026, both the nose wheels were replaced as routine maintenance. Investigation will be carried out by appropriate authority after consultation with Thailand Aviation Investigation Authorities, Thailand being State of occurrence,” said a senior DGCA official.An AI Express spokesperson said: “We confirm that our Hyderabad-Phuket flight on 11 March experienced an issue with the nose wheel at Phuket Airport. The crew followed all standard protocols, and guests were deplaned. We thank our guests, the Phuket airport authorities, and all stakeholders for their cooperation.” The flight with 132 passengers and six crew members on board had taken off from Hyderabad at 6.23 am and landed at 11.25 am (all timings local). A senior B737 captain said: “It’s a clear case of a hard landing, with nose wheel damage on the second touch down. Best would have been to take off again after the aircraft bounced. However only a probe can say what exactly happened. It’s also possible the aircraft had a problem with the nose wheel. The pilots would have done their best to make a safe landing.”Experienced pilots say the runway at Phuket has a pronounced upslope followed by down slope because of which “flare perception” — can get compromised. Flare perception is the visual and sensory process of judging altitude, speed, and closure rate to transition from a descending approach to a smooth, near-zero vertical speed touchdown, usually within 15-30 feet of the ground. It involves shifting focus from the end of the runway to the sides to use peripheral vision to sense height and “ground rush”. “Phuket is a tricky place to land if the winds are strong and thermals during hot afternoon time which is usually the case there,” said a pilot.
