Pilots had a close call when a passenger plane’s wheel veered off the tarmac during a turn before take-off.
The Azul Linhas Aéreas Airbus A320neo was taxiing at Chapecó Airport in Brazil when its right main landing gear wheel strayed onto the dirt.
The incident happened on Saturday (17 October) as flight AD7272 prepared to depart for Viracopos Airport in Campinas.
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Footage captured the aircraft, registration PR-YYI, approaching the end of runway 30 before beginning a 180-degree turn to line up for take-off.
But as the pilots turned right, the aircraft swung too far to one side, sending its right main landing gear wheel off the paved surface and onto the dirt.
The wheel can be heard making a loud metallic clack as it passes over the uneven ground before returning to the tarmac.
The person filming said the pilots had waved at them shortly before the incident, as reported by Need To Know.
Despite the mishap, the crew continued the manoeuvre and took off as planned.
The plane landed safely in Campinas around an hour later, at 11:34 am, arriving 16 minutes ahead of schedule.
However, the aircraft was sent for maintenance and did not fly again that day.
It is expected to return to service with a flight to Belém.
One person commented online: “I’d have loved to be a fly on the wall in the cockpit to see the pilots’ faces when they heard that ‘clack’ and felt the plane wobble slightly.”
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