Garuda B738 at Surabaya on Feb 1st 2014, burst tyre on landing

A Garuda Boeing 737-800, registration PK-GFW performing flight GA-316 from Jakarta to Surabaya (Indonesia) with 104 passengers, landed on Surabaya's runway 28 at 15:00L (08:00Z) but burst the outboard tyre on its left main gear and came to a stop on the runway and was disabled. The passengers disembarked onto the runway and were bussed to the terminal.

The airport was temporarily closed until the aircraft was moved to the apron.

The airport reported the tyre developed a problem during takeoff at Jakarta, there was no problem with the runway at Surabaya or debris on the runway.

An aviation source posting from Morocco claims, that a Lionair Boeing 737-900, registration PK-LFH, had landed on Surabaya's runway a few minutes prior to the Garuda and suffered a hard landing and tail strike leaving debris on the runway, then taxied to the apron without notifying ATC. Debris remaining on the runway then caused the damage of the Garuda.

The photos reportedly showing PK-LFH only show details, but do not permit to identify airframe, time or airport. As there have been a number of tailstrikes in the past it can thus not be ruled out at this time that these photos are from another accident.

PK-LFH had touched down on Surabaya's runway 28 as flight JT-316 from Balikpapan at 10:15L (03:15Z) and remained on the ground in Surabaya since (for now about 44 hours).

At this time The Aviation Herald therefore can not confirm nor rule out that PK-LFH suffered an occurrence at Surabaya on Feb 1st, The Aviation Herald is still working to verify or falsify the information, that currently travels around aviation fora around the globe.