Qantas plane travelling from Melbourne to Sydney forced to turn around mid-flight
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More drama for Qantas as packed flight from Melbourne to Sydney turns around after takeoff
- Qantas flight forced to turn around mid-air
- The plane was flying from Melbourne to Sydney on Friday
A packed Qantas plane traveling from Melbourne to Sydney was forced to turn around mid-air just days after another plane issued an emergency call.
The aircraft is understood to have suffered from an engineering problem.
It comes after a pilot on Qantas flight QF144 from Auckland to Sydney was forced to issue an airborne emergency call mid-journey on Wednesday.
The following day, flight QF101 was forced to return to Sydney airport after suffering a “potential mechanical problem” on its journey to Fiji.
A packed Qantas plane traveling from Melbourne to Sydney was forced to turn around mid-air just days after another plane issued an emergency call.
Passengers on the flight to Auckland on Wednesday have revealed how they heard a loud bang as the left engine failed in midair.
However, most were blissfully unaware of the engine problem until they touched down at Sydney airport and were greeted by a rush of reporters.
The first travelers to get off the plane said they were not told the 747-800 had suffered engine failure, just that there was some kind of problem after the loud bang.
Passenger Simone Schmidt told the media: “They told us nothing had happened, they were totally professional and we only found out when we got back on land.”
I only heard a thump and maybe a slight shudder, but that was it. We had no idea at the time, we didn’t realize the whole engine had blown, we just heard an explosion.
Her husband Colin added: “There was some gasping when we were told we were back on the runway, but by then we had landed.”
“Even then they told us it was a small malfunction.”
Concerned emergency services watch shortly before the flight landed safely in Sydney.
QF144 lands in Sydney after experiencing engine trouble mid-flight, prompting an emergency call
After its safe landing, Qantas said the mayday had been downgraded to “possibly necessary assistance”.
A statement said: ‘Qantas Flight 144, a 737 flying from Auckland to Sydney, experienced a problem with one of its engines within an hour of its destination.
‘Although initially a mayday was issued, this was lowered to a PAN. The plane landed safely at around 3:30 p.m. and is now being inspected by our engineers.”
An emergency call is issued when a flight is in serious and imminent danger and needs immediate assistance, according to Airservices Australia.
Once the call is issued, controllers alert aviation rescue, firefighting and emergency services with details on how to respond. They also provide assistance to pilots.
More to come.