Mumbai, 12 Sep

In a major scare, a SpiceJet Q400 plane's wheel fell off after take-off from Kandla airport on Friday, and the aircraft with 75 people onboard made an emergency landing at Mumbai airport, according to officials.

The aircraft landed safely at 3.51pm and all passengers and crew are safe, Mumbai airport operator MIAL said.

Operations at the airport were briefly impacted.

"On 12 September, an outer wheel of a SpiceJet Q400 aircraft operating from Kandla to Mumbai was found on the runway after take-off. The aircraft continued its journey to Mumbai and landed safely," the airline said in a statement.

There were 75 passengers onboard the Bombardier Q400 plane, which is used for operating regional flights, the officials told PTI.

One of the officials said that one rear right wheel of the aircraft was missing.

An Air Traffic Controller (ATC) at the Kandla airport informed the SpiceJet pilot that one of the wheels of the aircraft had fallen off after take-off, one of the officials said.

Subsequently, a full emergency was declared for the aircraft operating the flight SG2906.

"Fortunately, the aircraft's landing gear was retracting, because of which it was able to land safely," the official said.

Without naming the airline, MIAL said an aircraft from Kandla made an emergency landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) after reporting a technical issue.

"A full emergency was declared as a precaution. The aircraft landed safely on Runway 27, and all passengers and crew are safe. Normal operations resumed shortly after," MIAL said in the statement.

In recent months, there have been some instances of SpiceJet planes facing issues.

In July, a window frame of a SpiceJet aircraft operating its flight to Pune from Goa came off mid-air.