An international flight ended with a dramatic runway incident after a hard landing caused the aircraft’s nose gear wheels to detach upon touchdown.
On March 16th 2026, an Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX 8, registration VT-BWQ, operating flight IX-938 from Hyderabad to Phuket with 133 people on board, encountered serious landing difficulties upon arrival.
The aircraft touched down on runway 09 at Phuket International Airport at 11:24 local time (04:24 UTC). During the landing, the aircraft reportedly experienced a hard touchdown that resulted in significant stress on the nose landing gear.
The impact damaged the nose gear strut and caused both nose wheels to separate from the aircraft. With the nose gear compromised, the aircraft skidded along the runway before eventually coming to a stop.
Despite the severity of the landing and the visible damage to the landing gear, there were no reports of injuries among the 133 passengers and crew on board.
The aircraft remained disabled on the runway following the incident while airport authorities responded to the scene and began recovery operations. The runway was expected to remain affected until the aircraft could be safely removed and a full inspection of the surface completed.
Investigators are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the hard landing, including approach conditions, aircraft handling during the flare, and the resulting structural damage to the landing gear assembly.
