Video: Blue Air Plane Locks Its Wheel While Landing at Birmingham Airport
The Daily Mail | Apr. 15, 2016
Dramatic footage has emerged of the moment the wheel of a Boeing 737 locked upon landing.
The clip shows a Blue Air passenger plane from Bucharest approaching the runway at Birmingham Airport on Tuesday and then touching down - but it soon disappears in a cloud of smoke.
The airport told MailOnline Travel that the wheel of the aircraft had 'locked' upon landing, while the carrier explained that the tyre subsequently overheated and had to be replaced.
The video was shot by YouTuber Ryan Kirkpatrick, with the aircraft shown at the beginning making a perfectly normal approach on runway 33.
However, a split second after the wheels hit the tarmac smoke billows out. It quickly engulfs the back of the plane.
Kirkpatrick pulls back, showing that the amount of smoke that had been generated was visible from quite a distance.
The plane eventually emerges and taxis to the gate.
Shockingly, after landing, a FlyBe aircraft is also recorded touching down on the same runway - which Kirkpatrick claims was not checked for debris until two other flights were on the ground.
Replying to a comment on his YouTube channel, which read "surprised they didn't close the runway to check for debris", the cameraman said: "I was surprised as well. Two more landed after this and then the runway was checked."
A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport told MailOnline: "An aircraft belonging to Blue Air experienced a locked tyre upon landing at Birmingham Airport.
'As a result there was no debris. A precautionary runway inspection took place before any aircraft departed. No debris was reported."
A spokesman for Blue Air said that the tyre had overheated.
He said: "The Blue Air aircraft that operated the flight from Bucharest to Birmingham on April 12 landed in normal conditions, all passengers arrived safely at the destination."
"Immediately after landing, a tyre overheated causing an emanation of smoke when braking."
"The crew together with a technical team evaluated the situation and decided that the wheel needed to be replaced for safety reasons."
"Blue Air thus sent to Birmingham another aircraft to transport passengers on the return flight."
"They also brought the necessary wheel. Following tests after the wheel was changed, the aircraft returned to service and is back in normal operation."
One pilot, who did not wish to be named, speculated that the drama may have been caused by the pilot showing off.
He explained that there's a runway exit located half way down and the pilot may have hit the brakes too hard in a bid to slow down in time for it.
Pilots, he said, often try to taxi off at this mid point to show those watching that they've made an impressive landing.
He said the hard braking may have caused the wheel to lock.
The pilot added that it's also possible that there was a technical fault with the anti-skid brakes, or that the tyres were badly worn.
Ask the Pilot author Patrick Smith said that a locked tyre is more of a "hazardous issue" during take-off, at high speeds, than during the landing rollout.