A Boeing 737 was forced to make an emergency landing in South Africa Sunday after one of its main wheels flung off the plane during takeoff.
Dramatic video shows smoke exploding from the unprotected wheel hub as the packed FlySafair flight lands on the runway at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
Seconds later, a huge bang rings out as the plane screeches along the path before finally coming to a halt, a second video shows.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the scary incident — thanks in part to the eagle-eyed ground crew who noticed the missing landing wheel immediately after the Cape Town-bound plane went airborne.
“The crew were alerted to the observation and the decision was taken to return to Johannesburg,” FlySafair spokesperson Kirby Gordon told local outlet EWN Eyewitness News.
“Flight FA212 adjusted course back for Johannesburg and entered a holding pattern near Parys to burn off some fuel to lighten the aircraft for landing.”
The plane made a low pass over OR Tambo so experts could assess the landing gear before giving the OK for the crew to return to the runway.
“The wheel affected was one of the two attached to the left rear landing strut. The aircraft proceeded into a second holding pattern over Centurion to burn away remaining fuel before their final landing approach.”
The passengers deplaned and were loaded on a backup aircraft to Cape Town, albeit it several hours after they were initially expected to land.
The incident comes as Boeing faces a series of Senate hearings over its safety culture and manufacturing quality — which have come under scrutiny following a plethora of airplane malfunctions.
Boeing declined to comment on the South Africa incident, referring The Post to FlySafair — which maintains its own Boeing fleet but did not respond to an inquiry.
Last week, testimony at the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations raised questions about missing records surrounding the panel, along with production concerns over two separate Boeing widebody jets.
Boeing has been grappling with a safety crisis after the door plug panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight that took off from Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 5.
The planemaker has undergone a management shakeup, US regulators have put curbs on its production, and deliveries fell by half in March.
