An F-5 TH fighter jet suffered a tyre blowout while landing at Ubon Ratchathani Airport today, October 7, temporarily closing the runway and forcing some passenger flights from Bangkok to turn back.
The Royal Thai Air Force said the aircraft, operated by Squadron 211 of Wing 21 in Ubon Ratchathani, developed the problem on the runway at around 11.30am.
The incident affected incoming commercial flights while airport staff worked to move the disabled aircraft and clear the runway.
Among the affected services were AirAsia flight FD3374 from Don Mueang to Ubon Ratchathani and Thai VietJet flight VZ220 from Suvarnabhumi to Ubon Ratchathani.
Both were among the flights unable to land while the runway was closed for safety reasons and had to return to Bangkok.
The Air Force said the problem was caused by one of the fighter jet’s tyres bursting during landing.
It added that this type of failure can occur with aircraft and may be caused by a wheel hitting an object or other foreign material on the runway during touchdown.
Airport rescue personnel and other relevant teams immediately inspected the aircraft and assisted with clearing the area.
The runway was fully cleared and all obstructions removed before reopening to normal operations from 1.30pm.
The Air Force issued its explanation at around 3.30pm, several hours after the incident, confirming that the runway had already returned to normal service.
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