Scoot flight loses wheel en route to Singapore

SINGAPORE — A Scoot plane from South Korea to Singapore found its left nose wheel missing upon landing in Taipei for a scheduled stop on Monday (June 19) morning.

No one was injured.

According to local media, the wheel fell off when the flight landed at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport at 12.06am on Monday.

Photos online show the left nose wheel of Scoot Flight TR897 missing as the aircraft is parked at the airport. The affected aircraft was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, whose landing gear near the front of the aircraft — or nose — has two wheels. The nose wheel helps an aircraft to manoeuvre on the ground as well as to maintain directional control during take-off and landing.

In response to queries, a Scoot spokesman said a technical fault was detected upon landing in Taipei on Monday.

The flight, which was to depart Taipei for Singapore at 1.30am on Monday, was subsequently cancelled, he added.

A recovery flight leaving Taipei at 8.45pm the same day has been arranged instead to ferry all remaining passengers.

According to Changi Airport's website, the flight was supposed to arrive at Changi Airport at 5.55am on Monday, but has been rescheduled to arrive at 1.35am on Tuesday.

The Scoot spokesman apologised for the disruption caused, adding that hotel accommodation and flight refunds have been arranged for passengers where applicable.

"The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority, and we will continue to provide assistance to affected customers where necessary," he said.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.