A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Friday after one of its wheels detached and fell off shortly after takeoff from Cox’s Bazar International Airport.
The Dash 8-Q400 aircraft, operating as flight BG 436, was en route to Dhaka with 71 passengers onboard, including children.
The aircraft departed from Cox’s Bazar at 1:20pm.
Moments after takeoff, the airport control tower spotted a wheel on the runway and immediately notified the crew.
The pilot then declared an emergency and contacted Dhaka Air Traffic Control.
Emergency measures were swiftly activated at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, including the deployment of fire service teams.
ABM Rawsan Kabir, general manager (public relations) of Biman, told Dhaka Tribune that the wheel came off shortly after takeoff.
“Our engineering team is stationed beside the runway in Dhaka. The flight has been declared under emergency status,” he said.
Biman Managing Director and CEO Shafiqur Rahman said: "Shortly after departure, the Cox’s Bazar tower reported finding a wheel on the runway. Following this report, the aircraft declared an emergency. It landed safely in Dhaka at 2:20pm. Capt Billah was the operating captain.
"The aircraft landed safely at 2:20pm, concluding the emergency without any injuries. An investigation into the incident is expected to follow," said the Biman chief.