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BRIT holidaymakers have watched in horror as their plane’s tyre exploded during take-off from Corfu.
Passengers were then told to get into the emergency brace position as the TUI plane shook around them.
The photographer was returning from Corfu to Birmingham, with wife Katie and sons, Olly, 13, and Zach, 9, when the nightmare happened just as the plane was about to takeoff.
Kris, from Telford, Shropshire, said the experience was “scary”.
“There were bits of tyre flying everywhere.
“The whole wing was rippling.”
Kris said passengers didn’t know what had happened exactly at first as the pilots didn’t tell them for two hours.
But he had a fair idea as by sitting next to the window he could see the horror occurring.
Kris filmed the take-off and footage he caught shows a loud thump as the plane speeds along the runway and the wheel explodes.
The flight still took off and flew all the way back to the UK.
An Air Force jet appeared about 15 minutes before touchdown when the landing gear was lowered.
Kris said: “It had come to scout out the landing gear and tyre to see if it was OK.”
On arrival in Birmingham, emergency services crews prepared for the plane’s arrival.
Kris said: “And as we came into touch down the crew were saying, ‘heads down, heads down, heads down’ repeatedly which kind of makes you panic more.
“It was pretty crazy.”
The dad said he thought there were sparks when the jet touched down and he saw the crews spraying the wheels with water after landing.
Kris said of the landing: “It was a bit bumpy because it was running on a flat tyre.
“But it has other tyres so I suppose we knew we’d be OK.
“I was just trying to hold it together for the kids – and my wife was trying to hold it together.”
Katie began to bawl with tears and Kris said the cabin all clapped in relief when they stopped safely.
“The pilot came out and bowed.
“I don’t know how dangerous it really was.
“We may never have been in danger – or it might have been very dangerous and the pilot just pulled it off.
“There were some tears – but it was great to get back on solid ground and all safe.”
Kris said the crew did a “brilliant” job – with a trainee pilot controlling the plane in the air but a veteran doing the takeoff and landing.
TUI has been approached for comment.
