Lahore: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has launched an investigation after the PK-306 flight, arriving from Karachi, landed at the Allama Iqbal de Lahore International Airport without one of its rear wheels.
A PIA spokesman confirmed that the problem was discovered during an inspection after landing, revealing that one of the aircraft tires were missing, the news reported.
Although more than 14 hours have passed since the arrival of the flight, the missing wheel has not been located in the airports of Karachi or Lahore. The reports indicate that the plane had all its intact wheels at the time of Karachi takeoff and landed normally in Lahore. After a notification of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) of Lahore, a part of the tire axis was later found at the Karachi airport.
According to a preliminary statement of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the incident may have resulted from an external object that hits Karachi’s track.
The PIA spokesman said that while the final report will determine the exact cause, the initial evaluations suggest that the missing wheel could have been affected by a track failure or other external factor.
However, the plane design assured that the landing remained safe and soft.
A PIA research team has been sent to Lahore, while aviation security authorities have also initiated formal investigation into the incident.
