The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has confirmed an incident involving a Hawk 208 light fighter jet at Alor Setar’s Sultan Abdul Halim Airport.
The aircraft reportedly skidded on its nose on the runway this evening.
In a statement, RMAF said the aircraft experienced issues with its nose landing gear while landing on the runway at 5pm.
Earlier today, a viral video showed the aircraft bouncing several times before its nose landing gear collapsed, causing it to skid on its nose.
“The aircraft was involved in an ‘opening gambit’ rehearsal for the launch of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2025.
“The pilot is safe and was not injured,” RMAF said.
It said it will establish an investigative team to identify the cause of the incident in detail.
The New Straits Times reported Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) as saying in a travel advisory that the airport runway had been closed to facilitate the removal of the aircraft and subsequent runway clearing works.
“A notice to airmen has been issued, and the closure is expected to continue until 10.30pm tonight,” said the company.
MAHB advised all passengers, including those travelling for haj, to check with their respective airlines or Tabung Haji for the latest flight information.
“The airport will provide further updates once the runway is declared safe and open for flight operations by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia,” it said.
The runway was later reopened at 8pm, with airport manager Ikram Alif Mansoor saying aircraft removal, cleaning and inspection works had been completed.
“Four flights that were disrupted by the incident have been rescheduled. We are rearranging the schedule for all affected flights, including those involving haj pilgrims. We aim to resolve everything by tonight,” he said.
