Summary
- Qantas flight makes protected landing in Perth after engine scare, passengers applaud brave crew.
- Plane lands safely with one engine shut down, pilots follow procedures to make sure safety.
- Passengers describe tense moments, applaud crew for stellar job, highlighting pilot expertise.
On Monday night, passengers on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Perth got an unexpected mid-air scare when certainly one of the Airbus A330’s engines made a loud bang and was shut down. The aircraft was cleared for a priority landing and touched down safely at Perth Airport powered by one engine, where passengers and crew disembarked without incident.
A scary time on the A330-200
Qantas flight QF781 departed Melbourne Airport fifty-eight minutes late at 20:48 on Monday, March 25, for a scheduled 3:50-hour trip across the country to Perth. The aircraft was a 21-year-old Airbus A330-200, registration VH-EBA and MSN 0508, which recurrently operates the transcontinental route and international flights from Melbourne or Sydney to Singapore, Auckland, Christchurch and Jakarta.
In response to the , passengers said they heard a loud bang because the plane neared Perth with a pilot later confirming that Engine One had been shut down. A Qantas spokesperson later confirmed the QF781 aircraft experienced a problem with certainly one of its engines because it neared Perth and was granted a priority landing. The spokesperson added:
“The pilots followed the procedures for this kind of incident and manually shut down the engine and requested a priority landing. These aircraft are designed to securely operate with one engine. The aircraft landed safely without further incident in Perth. We all know this may have been unsettling for purchasers onboard and we thank them for his or her cooperation and understanding.”
The Airbus A330-200 landed at Perth Airport at 21:37, having made up among the hour lost by the late departure but still forty-two minutes behind schedule. The aircraft flew a holding pattern just north of the airport, and Qantas said after landing, but one other A330 was used for the return red-eye service to Melbourne, which arrived greater than three and a half hours late.
Photo: Phuong D. Nguyen/Shutterstock
Britt said there have been just a few nervous faces around, and once the plane had landed safely on the tarmac, passengers set free a sigh and a round of applause. He added the round of applause from everyone as we touched down was a reasonably cool moment, but “
One other passenger said the pilot and crew onboard did a stellar job, the plane landed safely, and everyone seems to be protected, adding,
Tony Lucas, President of the Australian and International Pilots Association, said that while these incidents are rare, pilots are well-trained to administer them safely. He praised the crew for his or her skill and expertise in delivering a protected consequence while also making the purpose that having two well-rested and well-trained pilots on the flight deck is the most effective safety feature available to aviation.
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