Harrowing footage from inside a packed Boeing 737 has captured the moment passengers feared they were about to crash after a tyre exploded during takeoff in Iran.
The Sepehran Airlines jet, bound for Kermanshah from Mashhad, was forced to turn back just minutes after leaving the runway on Monday evening when one of its main landing-gear tyres shed its tread. Debris is believed to have struck an engine, prompting the captain to declare an emergency.
In the shaky mobile phone video circulating online, the cabin lights flare as the aircraft shudders. Passengers can be heard shouting and praying. Hands grip seatbacks. One woman screams repeatedly. Overhead panels appear damaged and loose, adding to the sense of chaos as the plane banks back towards Mashhad’s Shahid Hasheminejad Airport.
The 30-year-old Boeing 737-300, registered EP-FSU, had already been delayed twice that afternoon. It finally lifted off at around 5.39 pm local time. Almost immediately, the captain radioed the control tower to report an engine problem and request an immediate return.
Airport officials confirmed the aircraft landed safely. All passengers and crew walked away unharmed and were later put on a replacement flight. Hassan Jafari, spokesman for Khorasan Razavi airports, said the tyre “came away” as the jet left the ground and that the pilot acted quickly. The runway was briefly closed but operations later resumed.
The footage has shocked viewers, with reports that several Iraqi passengers were among those on board. One clip shows travellers clinging to seats as the cabin appears to vibrate violently. Iranian media described passengers as having “looked death in the eye.”
Sepehran Airlines has faced other incidents at Mashhad this year, including a runway excursion involving another of its 737s in late August. The carrier, like others in Iran, operates an ageing fleet that has struggled with spare-part shortages.
Officials have opened an investigation into the exact cause of the tyre failure. For those who lived through the mid-air drama, the safe landing will feel like a narrow escape.
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