Yesterday afternoon, an Airbus A320-200 operating a LATAM Colombia flight from Medellín to Cartagena had to return to the departure airport due to a landing gear issue. This resulted in it touching down with the front wheel rotated 90 degrees to the side, prompting a shower of sparks to emerge as it slowed on the runway.

What should have been a short domestic hop

LATAM Colombia flight LA4292 is a regularly scheduled service that originates at José María Córdova International Airport (MDE). This facility serves the city of Medellín and is Colombia's second-largest airport behind Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport (BOG). According to data from FlightRadar24.com, the flight's scheduled departure time yesterday was set to be 10:58 local time.

With a planned duration of one hour and three minutes, the flight's scheduled arrival time at its destination airport, Cartagena's Rafael Núñez International (CTG), was 12:01. The Aviation Herald notes that the flight had 147 people onboard. LATAM Colombia faces competition from Avianca, Ultra Air, and Viva Air Colombia on the route to Cartagena, which is Medellín's third-busiest domestic corridor.

The aircraft operating the flight was an Airbus A320-200 which bears the registration CC-BAS. According to data from ch-aviation.com, this twinjet is 10.43 years old, having joined LATAM in November 2011. It can seat up to 175 passengers in an all-economy layout and is one of 12 A320s flown by LATAM Colombia.

An unplanned return

Unfortunately, yesterday's iteration of LATAM Colombia flight LA4292 didn't turn out to be the simple one-hour hop that regular passengers on the route are accustomed to. The Aviation Herald notes that things got off to a bad start before the flight hit the skies, with passengers initially being told that it was canceled.

This came about following an inspection carried out by technicians before departure. However, they were later able to board the aircraft, which Flightradar24 shows departed around three-and-a-half hours late, at 14:29. Meanwhile, the problems didn't end there, with the aircraft stopping its climb at just 13,000 feet.

This came about after the crew received an indication that suggested that the aircraft's nose wheel steering was faulty. As seen in the image below, they opted to return to Medellín but circled extensively beforehand. Upon landing, around 45 minutes after departure, the A320's nose wheel was kept up for as long as possible, before eventually touching down in the shower of sparks seen above.

UPDATE: 2022/03/30 12:59 UTC BY JAKE HARDIMAN

LATAM shares statement

A spokesperson for LATAM confirmed to Simple Flying that:

"CC-BAS, which operated flight LA4292 on Medellín- Cartagena route, had a problem with one of its nose gear wheels during takeoff. As a result, the plane immediately returned to the Medellin, where it landed at 3:12 PM local time. The commander declared an emergency, after which he received priority for landing and ground support from the firefighters. All passengers and crew members are in good health. (...) LATAM Airlines Colombia is in contact with Civil Aeronautics to deliver all information required to start the investigation process into this incident."

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Yet to return to service

Thankfully, the aircraft came safely to a halt on the runway with no injuries to anyone onboard following the unorthodox landing. As seen in the video below, the rotated wheel was fully stripped of its tire rubber by the time it stopped. This may have been the case before landing, given that parts of Colombian media have reportedly asserted that the tire burst on takeoff.

In any case, the aircraft is yet to return to service, with Flightradar24's data showing that all of its remaining flights yesterday were canceled. These included its planned return from Cartagena to Medellín, as well as another domestic hop that would have taken it from Bucaramanga to Bogotá.

What do you make of this incident? Have you ever experienced such a diversion? Let us know your thoughts and recollections in the comments.

Source: The Aviation Herald