A Qantas flight was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from Sydney, Australia, due to an engine failure. The incident occurred on Friday (November 8) afternoon during flight 520 from Sydney to Brisbane. Passengers reported hearing a loud bang just as the plane was leaving the runway, followed by a jolting shudder that went through the plane.
The airline confirmed that the noise was not an explosion but a contained engine failure, according to a statement.
Passenger Mark Willacy, a journalist with the Australian broadcaster ABC News, described his experience, writing that the plane “really labored” to gain altitude after the incident.
“We knew immediately something was wrong,” he said. “That big bang as the wheels were leaving the ground and the shudder — that was like nothing I’ve ever felt.”
Willacy noted that the plane was “banking a lot” as it prepared for its descent and did not feel as stable as usual.
After circling the airport several times, the Boeing 737 jet landed safely.
In a separate incident, a grass fire broke out along the eastern side of the airport’s parallel runway around the time of the plane’s departure. Sydney Airport stated that firefighters quickly brought the fire under control and that it was not clear if the two incidents were linked. Investigations are ongoing.
The airport returned to full operation by 5 p.m. local time. The cause of the engine failure is currently under investigation.
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