Vietnam Airlines grounds planes after tire falls
Vietnam Airlines grounds all 14 of its ATR-72 aircrafts after 1 tire fell off mid flight
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- State media is reporting that Vietnam Airlines has grounded all 14 of its ATR-72 planes after a front tire fell off one of the jets midflight.
Reports said the twin-engine turboprop flying from the northern port city of Hai Phong to Danang in central Vietnam landed safely Monday.
All 14 of the planes operated by Vietnam Airlines have been grounded.
The plane, manufactured by French-Italian aircraft company ATR, was carrying 41 passengers and crew.
An ATR-72 operated by Lao Airlines crashed in southern Laos during a heavy storm last week. All 49 people on board are presumed dead.
Tien Phong reported Tuesday that Vietnamese authorities asked ATR to join the investigation into the incident.
Vietnam Airlines was not available to comment.
The aircraft passed a technical check last month.
