MH192 Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the flight scare involving Malaysia Airlines Flight MH192 should not have happened after it was forced to make an emergency landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

 

Flight MH192 departed from KLIA at 10.09pm last night and was to arrive in Bangalore, India at 2.35am (Malaysian time) but was forced to make a turn back after discovering its tyre on the right landing gear had exploded at take-off.

It also reported Hishammuddin as saying that the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the police Special Branch had been asked to review the airline’s standard operating procedures (SOP) concerning its flights.

Hishammuddin said that the airlines should be tabling a report on the incident to the cabinet in two days as the plane had successfully landed.

“I am very proud of the pilots and crew members who kept the passengers informed and calm until the aircraft landed without incident,” Hishammuddin reportedly said after visiting passengers of the flight at KLIA at 3.45am this morning.

The flight has been rescheduled for later today, while passengers have been accommodated at hotels nearby.

The flight experienced problems with the front landing gear after take-off at 10.10pm, and then circled Malaysian airspace for nearly four hours in order to burn fuel before it landed at KLIA successfully at 1.56am.

'Tyres bursting not uncommon'

Meanwhile, Bernama quoted Peter Talalla, a former advisor to the Air Asia chief executive officer, as saying that burst airplane tyres were not uncommon.

 

"The reality is, even though it does not happen to everyone, aircraft often experience problems with their landing gear but many do not realise this.

 

"Why? Because they seldom cause death or injury, they do not become an issue for many," he was quoted as saying.

 

Talalla, who has 34 years of experience in the aviation industry, was quoted as saying that he too had experienced tyre malfunctions during landings.

Flight MH192 resumed its journey to Bangalore from KLIA at 3.35pm today using a different aircraft, according to Bernama.

A MAS spokesperson was quoted as saying that all 159 passengers on board last night’s aborted trip boarded the latest flight.

In a statement later today, MAS said Flight MH192 safely landed in Bangalore at 7.27pm (Malaysian time).

“Malaysia Airlines is currently preparing a report of the MH192 incident to be submitted to the Transport Ministry, Malaysia,” it said.