Agencies probe intense landing incident of Frontier Airlines flight in Puerto Rico
Rewritten Article:
In the wake of a rough landing, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are delving into the incident involving Frontier Airlines Flight 3506, which touched down at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
The airborne voyager, an Airbus A321, was descending from Orlando International Airport when its initial landing attempt turned out to be a bumpy one.
Audio broadcasts from various sources indicate that air traffic controllers alerted the pilots about possible debris on the runway after the "aircraft landed a bit harsh."
A concerned air traffic controller explained the situation to another pilot, stating, "The last aircraft that tried to land in San Juan hit the surface too hard and apparently lost some things in the runway." The controller further added, "He has declared an emergency."
After the failed landing attempt, Flight 3506 circled the airport and made two more attempts to touch down, successfully managing to land at 10:20 p.m. local time.
Due to the chaos, several incoming planes needed to divert and land at other airports while Luis Muñoz Marín International was momentarily closed.
Footage from a passenger on board showed jubilant people on the plane as it finally landed on the tarmac.
One of the passengers, Jeffrey Cerda, expressed his sentiments in a video posted on Instagram, saying, "It was truly terrifying. Fearing for your life and not knowing what was going to happen, not knowing if you were going to land safely or how everything was going to end... Accidents happen, and we don't know when or how they'll happen. They're accidents, and they happen when we least expect it."
Upon landing, passengers were deplaned on the taxiway and shuttled to the terminal.
In a statement, Frontier Airlines affirmed that the aircraft landed safely and no injuries were reported to the passengers or crew. The incident is under investigation.
This report has also been contributed to by CNN's Pete Muntean, Martin Goillandeau, Caroll Alvarado, and David Williams.
-Enrichment Data Integrated:
The incident involved a severe landing impact, with the nose tire failing and being ingested into the left engine, which subsequently caught fire[1][2][5]. Despite these issues, the aircraft managed to land safely on the second attempt, without injuries to the 230 people aboard[2].
The FAA is leading the investigation with the NTSB, focusing on the factors that led to the hard landing, the nose tire failure, and subsequent engine fire[2][3]. Preliminary reports on aviation forums suggest that the incident necessitated impressive aircraft control skills, with the full details awaiting the NTSB's findings[3].
In brief, the investigation is ongoing, focusing on the circumstances that contributed to the hard landing, the nose tire failure, and subsequent engine fire. No injuries have been reported, and the aircraft managed to land safely on the second attempt[1][2][3][5].
- The aviation industry, particularly Frontier Airlines, is currently under scrutiny following the landing mishap of Flight 3500 on Tuesday.
- Juan, a passenger on Flight 3500, shared his harrowing account of the incident on social media, highlighting the unexpected danger and fear during the operation.
- The Airbus A321 aircraft, operated by Frontier Airlines, initially experienced a rough landing at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, but managed to correct and land safely on its second attempt.
- The Federal Aviance Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are collaborating to investigate the circumstances leading to the hard landing and subsequent events.
- Industry analysts are closely monitoring the financial implications that this high-profile aviation accident might have on Frontier Airlines and the transportation sector as a whole.
- General-news outlets, including CNN, have covered the story extensively, citing sources from various aviation forums suggesting impressive pilot skills and a closer look into the nose tire failure and engine fire during the incident.
