Passenger Says ‘I Thought It Was the End’ After Frontier Plane Experiences Mechanical Problem [WATCH]

A Frontier Airlines flight traveling from Orlando, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, experienced a mechanical failure during landing on April 15, when one of the wheels detached from the aircraft’s front landing gear, as reported by The New York Post

The incident occurred at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and was captured in video footage shared by passengers.

Flight 5306, operating on an Airbus A321 with 228 people on board, initially attempted to land around 10:00 p.m. local time.

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During the first attempt, the aircraft struck the runway hard, resulting in what Frontier later described as a “mechanical problem.” According to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día, the impact caused one of the front wheels to break off.

Passenger Melani Gonzalez Wharton, who was traveling with her husband and their two children, ages 3 and 6, described the experience as terrifying.

“We were landing and the landing was very bad, aggressive and at a high speed,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “This caused one of the tires on the front of the plane to break and catch fire.”

Passengers on a Frontier plane experienced moments of panic after one of its engines caught fire as it was preparing to land at Luis Muñoz Marin Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. pic.twitter.com/HfZdK5w5li

— CAIN66X92 (@XTechPulse) April 16, 2025

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Wharton posted a video showing smoke and a fiery orange glow visible from her seat window as the plane ascended again. Debris from the broken gear was reportedly sucked into one of the engines, which began emitting smoke, though officials confirmed the engine itself did not fail.

The plane circled the airport four times before attempting a second landing on an alternate runway.

Terrified passengers aboard a Frontier Airlines flight from Florida feared “it was the end” when one of the plane’s wheels broke off during a hard landing in a frightening moment caught on camera.

Frontier Flight 5306 was on final approach to San Juan, Puerto Rico when the… pic.twitter.com/X8coiGpO4N

Flight tracking data from FlightAware indicated the aircraft made several close approaches—one reportedly as low as 500 feet—before the successful landing at 10:54 p.m.

Passengers on board could be heard praying, while children cried during the tense moments in the cabin. “For a few minutes I thought it was the end of our story here on earth,” Wharton said.

Despite the damage and the chaos inside the aircraft, no injuries were reported. Photos taken after landing show the front gear of the Airbus missing a wheel entirely.

Flight investigator Luis Irizarry praised the flight crew, highlighting the calm and coordinated response of the pilot and co-pilot.

According to Irizarry, the younger co-pilot was initially in control during the landing attempt, but the captain eventually assumed control to stabilize the plane and carry out the second, successful landing.

— TheRealCherokeeOwl (@RealCherokeeOwl) April 17, 2025

The flight took more than an hour longer than usual to complete due to the delay caused by the aborted landing and holding pattern.

Frontier Airlines has not released a detailed statement but has been contacted for comment.

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