Right after a Vietnam Airlines (VNA) ATR-72 plane landed in Da Nang Airport on Monday, technicians discovered that one of the two front landing-wheels of the plane was missing, the carrier reported.

Le Truong Giang, the spokesman of the national flag carrier, said this is the first incident of its kind to happen to VNA and an investigation is underway.

The aircraft took off from Cat Bi Airport in the northern city of Hai Phong at 12:45 pm and landed in central Da Nang City at 2:15 on schedule on October 21.

After all 41 passengers and the crew had left the aircraft, airport technicians carried out a routine examination and found that it had lost one of its two front wheels.

Further examination showed that the aircraft’s front shaft had been broken at one side, causing the loss of the wheel.

Giang said that the aircraft was put in operation in Vietnam on October 13, and the last regular technician examination had been conducted on September 21, 2013.

Lai Xuan Thanh, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), said such an incident is classified as serious as it poses a threat to flight safety. It was lucky that it did not cause serious consequences.

The agency has assigned staff to search for the lost wheel in both Cat Bi airport and Da Nang airport but they have failed to find it, Thanh said.

In case the wheel fell to the ground and caused damage to anyone or any property, VNA must be responsible for paying compensation for such damage, he added.

ATR-72 fleet suspended

An ATR-72 technician told Tuoi Tre that a plane contacts the ground first with its rear wheels, and in case one of the two front wheels is missing, the remaining wheel continues to operate normally. Therefore, the pilot as well as the passengers did not notice the absence of the front wheel during landing.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre about this issue, Ho Minh Tan, head of the CAAV’s Flight Safety Standard Department, said that the agency has sent a team to Da Nang to investigate the case.

There may be a technical reason for the incident, Tan said.

The CAAV yesterday also ordered VNA to discontinue use of the entire fleet of ATR-72 planes until investigations conclude.

VNA has a fleet of 14 ATR-72 planes, each of which contain 68 passenger seats. Since they aren’t currently allowed to use these vehicles, the airline has had to adjust its flight schedules to meet passengers’ demand for travel, Giang said.