Samoan Plane Loses Wheel While Landing at Airport

Samoan plane loses wheel while landing at airport

WELLINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) — One of Samoa’s Polynesian Airline aircraft, Dash-8, was grounded in Tonga after one of its landing wheels went off during touch-down at Fu’amotu airport in Tonga, reported Radio New Zealand Wednesday.

The airline’s operation manager, John McNeely, confirmed Wednesday the incident happened Tuesday, saying it only caused minor damage to the aircraft.

Airline officials have been unavailable to give the number of passengers who were on board the 37-seater aircraft at the time of the incident.

McNeely said an engineering assessment of the damage and an investigation are under way.

The aircraft was on its service from Samoa’s capital Apia to Tonga via Pago Pago in American Samoa.

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