Two passengers received minor injuries after a Southwest flight that was leaving Orlando International Airport was forced to turn around due to a blown nose tire.
On Tuesday, August 1, Southwest Airlines Flight SWA497 departed the airport at 3:01 p.m. en route to Phoenix, Arizona.
Around six minutes into the flight, as the plane was still climbing in altitude, the crew suddenly stopped the climb due to a problem with the nose gear, according to a report from FlightAware.
The airplane, a Boeing 737-700, held at around 5,900 feet for several minutes before turning around and returning to the airport.
According to the FlightAware track log, the plane descended to 2,700 feet before holding around 2,900 feet for several minutes while preparing to land. It eventually landed back at MCO at around 3:39 p.m.
The runway was closed as crews attended to the craft. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, two passengers on board received minor injuries as a result of the incident.
In June, a Spirit Airlines flight was forced to return to the Orlando International Airport shortly after take-off when the airplane began descending due to an engine failure. No injuries were reported in that incident, and passengers were able to reach their final destination about five hours after their scheduled arrival.