Summary
- Flight PK714 diverted to Muscat as a result of engine troubles, landing safely after one engine failed mid-flight.
- AP-BHV, a 777-300ER, accomplished the identical flight without issue one month prior and was the primary of its kind delivered to PIA.
- PIA faces financial struggles, canceling a whole lot of flights, because the Pakistani government finalizes plans to sell the airline.
A Pakistan International Airlines aircraft diverted to Muscat International Airport (MCT) while operating flight PK714 from Medina Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (MED) to Islamabad International Airport (ISB) on March sixth. The flight suffered from engine troubles, which prompted the crew to land the aircraft.
Flight PK714 departed from MED just after 8:20 within the morning. The flight was scheduled to take a bit greater than 4 hours and 20 minutes and depart at 9:00 am. On the day and on the time of the flight, weather conditions in Saudi Arabia, where the aircraft departed from, were fair, with partly cloudy skies that will dissipate shortly after takeoff and temperatures of twenty-two° C (73° F).
The aircraft involved, a 777-300ER registered “AP-BHV,” had accomplished the identical flight without issue lower than a month earlier on February twenty first. AP-BHV was delivered to the airline in 2006. PIA, for its part, has 4 777-300ERs, with two of the kind in storage. AP-BHV was the primary to be delivered to the airline. The airline moreover has eight 777-200s.
An hour after departure, AP-BHV was cruising en path to ISB at 35,000ft. Just shy of the halfway point, with the aircraft turning north over the Gulf of Oman heading to Pakistan, problems began to arise.
Problem arises
At 11:23 am local time, the aircraft began to decelerate and descend from its cruising altitude barely. The flight crew had reported an issue with the engines. Ten minutes after the primary signs of trouble, the aircraft had lost 3,000 ft of altitude and would turn towards MCT. At this point, one in all the aircraft’s engines had failed completely.
By then, the aircraft had begun a better rate of descent, typical for any diversion. When reaching 15,000 ft, about 20 minutes after the issue began, the aircraft briefly held its altitude. Holding at 15,000 ft was the primary time for the reason that start of the incident that the aircraft had flown straight and level.
Photo: Flightradar24.com
The aircraft landed safely on runway 26R at MCT around 3 hours after departing MED. No injuries were reported. AP-BHV has remained on the bottom for the reason that incident. It’s unclear how the passengers of the flight were transported to their original destination, however the airline currently offers regular service from MCT to ISB using its 777-200s.
PK714 is the second PIA 777 to suffer engine failure in three months. On December 2nd, 2023, a PIA 777-200 was forced to return to Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport (KHI) after suffering an engine failure just after takeoff when the aircraft was only at 3,000ft. That flight was originally inbound to MED.
That aircraft was manufactured in 2005 and previously in service with Vietnam Airlines, and had been impounded as a result of a lease dispute. PIA itself has struggled financially, causing the carrier to cancel greater than 375 domestic and international flights. The federal government of Pakistan recently finalized its plans to sell the airline.