Pilots on a Qantas plane packed with terrified passengers have been forced to shut down the engine mid-flight and make an emergency landing after a blowout.
Flight QF781 departed Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport about 8.30pm on Monday night bound for Perth.
The four hour flight was preparing for descent into Perth when passengers heard a loud bang before being told that the engine had blown out.
Another passenger described the sound similar to a tyre exploding.
The pilots manually shut down the engine and issued a priority landing notice.
Flight QF781 was preparing for descent into Perth when the engine blew out
The Airbus A330-200 plane safely landed in Perth but was met by emergency crews on the tarmac and escorted to the arrival gate as a precaution.
A photo taken by a passenger onboard showed the plane on the tarmac next to a fire truck.
‘Pilot and crew on board did a stellar job, plane safely landed and everyone is safe,’ the Bell Tower Times post was captioned.
‘That’s a story for grandkids.’
Passengers commended pilots and crew on how the mid-air scare was handled.
‘That landing was very smooth considering we lost an engine upon decent,’ a woman posted on X
‘But thankful I’ve landed cause s**t was scary to sit through. Yes I did cry the whole time and no I won’t be booking a flight soon.’
All crew and passengers disembarked without further incident.
Qantas engineers will now examine the engine to determine what caused the blowout.
‘The pilots followed the procedures for this type of incident and manually shut down the engine and requested a priority landing,’ a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.
‘These aircraft are designed to safely operate with one engine.
‘We know this would have been unsettling for customers on board and we thank them for their cooperation and understanding.’
The plane safely landed in Perth but was met by fire trucks on the tarmac
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk