Ralf Schumacher was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight which aborted its take-off from Frankfurt Airport on Wednesday following a burst tyre.
The former F1 driver turned pundit was travelling on Lufthansa flight LH1264, an Airbus A320-200 registered D-AIZA, which was bound for Salzburg when the nose-gear tyre failed during the take-off run on October 28 from runway 18.
The flight-deck crew aborted the take-off before the critical V1 rotation speed, after which time, the aircraft would have been forced to take to the air, with a maximum speed reached of 72 knots, according to FlightRadar24.
The aircraft was then met by emergency personnel before being towed back to a gate where the 153 passengers and crew disembarked safely.
Schumacher detailed the drama in a post on Instagram.
“We were already on the runway, at full speed, and then one of the two front tyres burst. Then, of course, there was an emergency stop here in Frankfurt at the airport. The braking was very hard,” he said.
“Police, fire brigade, and all sorts of other emergency services arrived, of course.”
“The crew did a great job. Everything was very, very good.
“A big thank you to Lufthansa. It was great how they handled things for us. The way we were welcomed and immediately rebooked, everything was just perfect. Thanks!”