Plane crash averted as military jet loses tyres at Yola airport

A military jet was on Friday involved in a near crash at the Yola Airport, Adamawa State. The aircraft suddenly lost two of its rear tyres while it was trying to take off. The jet is believed to be one of those being used for aerial bombardments of insurgents in the North East, including Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. Our correspondent, who was at the airport at about 2.30pm when the incident occurred, reported that there was panic among airport users and workers when the engine of the aircraft, which was already taxing, was suddenly switched off. When the alarm was raised, airport officials, including fire fighters and security operatives, were quickly mobilised. Some of them were driven to the scene in a white patrol van to ascertain the situation. The initial rumour was that the jet was on fire, but the officials debunked this information when they returned from the scene. The development led to the temporary closure of the airport’s runway to traffic.