- The Airnorth flight TL160 left Darwin Airport at 7.30am and was back by 8.16am
- Passengers broke into a round of applause as the craft touched down safely
- There were 75 passengers and four crew members on-board the flight to Gove
A plane full of passengers were given the fright of their lives this morning when the engine in the aircraft carrying them suddenly shut down with a ‘massive bang’.
The Airnorth flight TL160 left Darwin Airport at 7.30am Friday, bound for Gove, but had to turn back shortly after because of the dramatic event, NT News reported.
Passengers broke into a relieved round of applause as the craft safely touched back down, according to a woman on-board.
The Airnorth flight TL160 left Darwin Airport at 7.30am Friday but had to turn back shortly after because the engine shut down with a ‘massive bang’ (different Airnorth aircraft pictured)
‘Everyone clapped as soon as the wheels hit the tarmac. It landed with only one engine, it wasn’t smooth. There was so much relief,’ Darwin resident Patrina Baxter said.
Mrs Baxter was traveling with her husband, Peter, and said while they were disappointed about their work trip being delayed, they were happy to have come out alive.
‘We were situated over the wing, at the right, and at the left side of there was a massive bang,’ Mrs Baxter said.
‘The whole plane drops, it didn’t drop for long. The other engine was making this whining sound.’
The aircraft left Darwin Airport (pictured) at 7.30am Friday but had to turn back shortly after because of the dramatic event
She said the plane turned back to Darwin five minutes after the bang, before arriving at the airport at 8.16am.
An Airnorth spokeswoman said there were 75 passengers and four crew members on-board the flight.
She said Airnorth was currently assisting in travel options for affected customers.
The airline is based in Darwin and predominantly services northern parts of Australia.
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