On March 11, 2026, an Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX 8 suffered a hard landing at Phuket International Airport (HKT), resulting in both nose gear tires separating, with the aircraft dragging on the strut as it came to a stop.

The aircraft involved is registered VT-BWQ, a six-year-old Boeing 737 MAX 8 which was delivered to Air India Express in May 2025. The carrier was operating flight IX938 from Hyderabad (HYD).

Following a non-eventful flight, the aircraft suffered a hard landing, porpoising and touching down nose-first. The sheer force following the nose-gear touch down resulted in both tires separating. The aircraft continued to drag along the strut until it came to a stop.

A number of plane spotters were able to capture the dramatic moments as the aircraft slowed down. I’m really impressed with the strength of that strut as you can still see a major portion of the tire axle embedded in the runway where the 737 stopped.

All 138 passengers and crew members on board were accounted for with no injuries to report. The incident resulted in the airport shutting down operations for just about five hours as ground personnel worked quickly to install a new strut and axle assembly.

Unfortunately, this 737 MAX 8 will out of commission for quite some time. Beyond the obvious inspections needed for the hard landing and gear assembly damage, a wrinkle was spotted along the right side of the lower section of the fuselage near the nose gear.

While it most likely won’t be a write off, the structural repair will cost Air India quite a bit as it requires extensive repair to bring the frame back to airworthy stratus.

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