A Max Air Boeing 737, registration 5N-ADB, operating flight NGL1649 from Yola to Abuja with 119 passengers and six crew members on board, rejected takeoff on the evening of 21 July 2024 after a loud bang signalled the bursting of its rear landing gear tyres. According to the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau, two tyres burst first, and as the crew attempted to taxi the aircraft off the runway, the remaining two tyres also failed, leaving the plane completely disabled.
No injuries were reported among the passengers or crew, and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau confirmed the aircraft was disabled on the runway, prompting a temporary disruption to operations at Yola Airport while ground teams worked to clear the disabled jet. Replacement tyres were flown in to allow the aircraft to be moved and repaired.
A Pattern of Incidents
The Yola tyre failure was one of several incidents involving Max Air aircraft during 2024, part of what aviation commentators described as a troubling cycle of runway excursions and mechanical failures affecting the carrier's fleet that year, including a separate engine fire linked to a suspected bird strike on a Max Air flight in Maiduguri later in the year. None of the incidents resulted in fatalities, but they drew renewed attention to fleet maintenance standards among Nigeria's domestic carriers.
Passengers Stranded, Situation Contained
A Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria official said arrangements were made to fly replacement tyres in from Abuja to repair the aircraft, describing the situation as under control despite the disruption. Passengers described the ordeal as harrowing but expressed relief at escaping unharmed, in an incident that added to a broader pattern of domestic aircraft mishaps that shaped public discussion of Nigerian aviation safety through 2024.