Terrified Frontier Airlines passengers feared ‘it was the end’ as Puerto Rico-bound plane’s wheel breaks off in hard landing

Terrified passengers aboard a Frontier Airlines formation from Florida feared “it was nan end” erstwhile 1 of nan plane’s wheels collapsed disconnected during a difficult landing successful a frightening infinitesimal caught connected camera.

Frontier Flight 5306 was connected last attack to San Juan, Puerto Rico erstwhile nan 228-passenger level touched down astatine Luis Munoz Marin International Airport earlier quickly climbing backmost up connected April 15.

During nan first landing attempt, nan Airbus A321 suffered a “mechanical problem” resulting successful 1 of nan wheels tearing disconnected nan beforehand landing gear, Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia reported.

“We were landing and nan landing was very bad, fierce and astatine a precocious speed, this caused 1 of nan tires connected nan beforehand of nan level to break and drawback fire,” Melani Gonzalez Wharton wrote connected Facebook.

Wharton had traveled to Florida pinch her hubby and their 2 sons, ages 3 and 6, to sojourn nan taxable parks successful nan area.

The family didn’t expect their return travel from picnic to move into a near-death experience.

“For a fewer minutes I thought it was nan extremity of our communicative present connected earth,” Wharton wrote connected Facebook, pinch a video of passengers deboarding nan plane.

The mother of 2 captured nan position retired nan model from her seat, which showed an orangish glow underneath nan level arsenic streaks of fume rushed past nan window.

Debris from nan damaged cogwheel sewage sucked into nan motor causing it to smoke, but nary motor nonaccomplishment was reported.

Children were heard successful nan inheritance crying arsenic different passengers prayed for their safety.

The level circled nan airdrome 4 times earlier making a 2nd effort astatine landing connected a different runway, according to nan flight radar tract FlightAware.

The craft came arsenic adjacent arsenic 500 feet to nan runway but flew by and did different circle astir nan area earlier successfully landing astatine 10:54 p.m.

Tuesday’s formation was complete an hr longer than nan accustomed clip it takes for nan travel from Orlando to Puerto Rico, according to formation data.

Investigators applauded nan activity of nan formation crew, claiming their actions saved nan level from a worse ending.

A young co-pilot was successful power astatine nan clip earlier nan cool-headed skipper took complete and stabilized nan plane, formation interrogator Luis Irizarry said, according to Puerto Rico’s WAPA.

Photos of nan aftermath captured nan plane’s beforehand landing cogwheel missing an full wheel.

No injuries person been reported.

The Post has reached retired to Frontier Airlines.