A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight landed safely in Lahore on Wednesday despite one of its tyres being missing, prompting investigations into the incident.
Flight PK-308, an Airbus A320, was en route from Karachi to Lahore when it completed its journey and landed at around 10 PM. Authorities later discovered that one of the aircraft’s rear tyres was missing. The absence of the tyre was only noticed after the plane had landed and taxiing to its assigned position at Lahore airport.
Lahore Air Traffic Control (ATCO) immediately informed Karachi airport authorities about the missing tyre, leading them to locate part of the tyre’s shaft on the runway. Despite over 14 hours of searching at both airports, the missing tyre has not yet been found.
Initial reports indicated that the aircraft, registered as APBLS, departed Karachi with all tyres intact. A PIA spokesperson suggested that the tyre may have detached due to a potential collision with a foreign object on the Karachi runway. It is believed the pilots were unaware of the missing tyre during the flight, as the aircraft landed and taxied normally at Lahore.
A PIA team has been dispatched to Lahore to investigate the incident, and the Safety and Aviation Investigation departments have launched separate inquiries to determine how the aircraft completed its journey with compromised landing gear.
The PIA Flight Safety Department has also initiated a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact cause of the tyre detachment and to review safety protocols. Aviation experts pointed out that modern aircraft are equipped with redundancy systems that allow safe landings even with certain components damaged or missing.
This incident has raised concerns regarding runway inspection procedures and pre-flight checks at Karachi airport. Authorities have yet to provide details about the number of passengers on board or if alternative arrangements were made for their connecting travel.
