Malaysian carrier's tire explodes at Hanoi airport

The plan took off from Noi Bai at 1 p.m., said Tran Hoai Phuong, director of the Northern Aviation Administration. After the plane had taken off, a piece of tire was found on the runway.

Suspecting that it was from the plane that had just taken off, airport authorities directed it to return, which it did at around 2:30 p.m. with all 91 passengers unhurt and unharmed. It was later found that one of the aircraft’s tires had exploded.

Even with one of its tires damaged, the plane was still able to take off because of its multi-tire design, said Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. But if it had gone unnoticed and not redressed, the damaged tire could have posed a flight safety risk.

"A plane's tire can explode due to many reasons. They can be worn out, or could have hit something," said Thang.

An investigation is ongoing, he added.