A Virgin Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after its engine caught fire due to a possible bird strike.
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According to Australian Broadcasting Corp., the Melbourne-bound Boeing 737-800 jet, which departed at 5:30 a.m. local time from Queenstown Airport, was forced to divert to Invercargill after flames were noticeably shooting out of the engine. The plane landed safely in New Zealand.
There were 67 passengers and six crew members on board the aircraft. Darren Robinson, of Shotover Country in Queenstown, caught the entire incident on video from the ground.
“Heard a loud band and went outside to see a plane engine on fire,” Robinson wrote. “Hopefully they land safely.”
Virgin Australia’s chief operations officer, Stuart Aggs, stated a bird strike may be the cause of the plane emergency. Catherine Nind, an airport spokesperson, also shared, “At this time, we are not aware of any physical injuries to guests or crew.”
Nindl stated the passengers were accommodated in Invercargill overnight and new flights will be arranged.
It was reported bird strikes occur in New Zealand airports at a rate of four in every 10,0000 aircraft movement.
The latest plane emergency occurred days after New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was forced to take a commercial flight to Japan when a defense force Boeing 757 broke down during a refueling stop in Papua New Guinea.
While the Prime Minister flew commercial, the business delegation and journalists were stranded in Port Moseby.
Virgin Australia Flight Passengers Recalls Plane Emergency
While speaking to ABC News, Virgin Australia flight passengers recalled the terrifying plane emergency.
Michael Hayward, who was assigned to seat 22F on the flight, shared the flames had appeared to be shooting from one of the aircraft’s engines. This happened shortly after takeoff. “After 50 minutes of flying to burn fuel and lose weight, the aircraft diverted to Invercargill,” Hayward explained.
“The plane starts taking off, wheels leave the runway, next thing you know – bang! Flashes come out of the side, right in the engine. We’ve flown into [a group of birds], so all you hear is ‘boom, boom, boom.’”
He then added, “Within seconds of leaving the ground, your plane’s spitting flames out the engine… So, quite the dramatic take-off.”
Lynn Crosson, shift supervisor for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, told CBS News, that fire trucks met the plane as it arrived in Invercargill. It was about 50 minutes after takeoff from Queenstown when the plane made its emergency landing.
Fire and Emergency NZ also revealed to Sky News, “Air traffic control then advised Fenz it was diverting to Invercargill. Something has happened to one engine. That engine has been shut down. They had an uneventful flight to Invercargill.”