Last Sunday afternoon, an incident involving Etihad Airways flight EY461 led to the cancellation of takeoff at Melbourne airport, in Australia. Two Boeing 787 tires exploded during the maneuver, with almost 300 passengers on board.
Videos are circulating on social media showing the plane stopped on the runway, surrounded by emergency vehicles. According to testimonies collected by Daily Mailthe pilot had to apply the emergency brakes after the landing gear appeared to have caught fire.
An Eithad plane with 289 passengers on board has been forced to abort take-off after smoke from the plane’s landing gear caused two wheels to explode this afternoon at Melbourne Airport.
— The Melbourne Snap (@MelbourneSnap)
The explosion caused significant damage to the wheels, leaving the plane immobilized on the runway, which remained closed until Monday morning. Despite the scare, there were no reports of injuries and all passengers disembarked safely.
Etihad Airways has not yet released further details about the incident, which is being investigated.
