Indian flight loses outer wheel during take-off, lands safely in Mumbai airport

A SpiceJet flight operating from Kandla (Gujarat) to Mumbai lost an outer wheel during take-off but landed safely in the financial capital, the airline said on Friday.

The Q400 aircraft lost the outer wheel after take-off from Kandla.

“On September 12, an outer wheel of a SpiceJet Q400 aircraft operating from Kandla to Mumbai was found at the runway after take-off. The aircraft continued its journey to Mumbai and landed safely,” an SpiceJet spokesperson said.

Following a smooth landing, the aircraft taxied to the terminal under its own power, and all passengers disembarked normally, the airline added.

On Thursday, a Kathmandu-bound SpiceJet flight faced a suspected tailpipe fire at Delhi airport but safely returned to the bay. The incident involved flight SG041, which was being operated with a Boeing 737-8 aircraft.

The flight was scheduled to leave in the morning but was delayed for more than four hours. According to the airline, another aircraft on the ground reported a suspected tailpipe fire, prompting the pilots to return as a precautionary measure.

“No warnings or indications were observed in the cockpit, but the pilots decided to return as a precautionary safety measure,” according to the airline.

A tailpipe is the exhaust pipe of a jet engine, and a tailpipe fire, also called an internal fire, can occur within the normal gas flow of the engine.

Despite the scare, officials confirmed that the aircraft was safe and ready to resume operations after checks.

The budget airline slipped into the red in the April–June quarter (Q1) of FY26, reporting a consolidated net loss of Rs 234 crore compared to a net profit of Rs 158 crore in the same period previous financial year (Q1 FY25). The sharp decline came as revenues from operations dropped 34.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 1,120 crore from Rs 1,708 crore, according to its stock exchange filing.

The airline said the losses were mainly due to costs linked to grounded aircraft and expenses for bringing them back into service. It also pointed to geopolitical tensions with a neighbouring country and airspace restrictions in key markets, which hit leisure travel demand.

Indo-Asian News Service