This is ah… kind of wholly terrifying.
An international flight bound for Shanghai was forced to make an emergency landing in Sydney a mere 60 minutes after take-off after a giant gaping hole in one of the plane’s engine casings appeared.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU736 departed Sydney initially at 8:30pm last night, bound for China. But shortly after take-off crew reported seeing the hole in the engine casing, leaving the engine partially exposed, forcing pilots to radio back to Sydney and turn the plane around.
The plane travelled as far south as Bulli before turning around and successfully landing at Sydney Airport. No passengers or crew members suffered injuries as a result of the incident.
Sunrise reports that residents in Macarthur reportedly heard the low-flying plane make a “banging” noise as it flew overhead. Aviation website Flight.org posted audio reportedly captured from the plane radio where pilots told air traffic controllers in Sydney that “engine number one [was] fucked.“
China Eastern Airlines this morning confirmed the incident and damage to the Airbus A330 aircraft, asserting that crew acted swiftly after observing the “abnormal situation.”
“Last night on 11th June, MU 736 from Sydney to Shanghai encountered an engine problem after takeoff. The crew observed the abnormal situation of the left engine and decided to return to Sydney airport immediately. All passengers and crew members were landed safely. They were then arranged accommodation by China Eastern Airlines.”
“Today the passengers will be arranged to fly to their destinations on either China Eastern flights or other airlines. The returned aircraft is currently under investigation at Sydney airport.”
Passengers on-board reported hearing a loud noise coming from the engine prior to the incident.
They’re expected to be put onto alternative flights from this morning.
The Australian Travel Safety Bureau has sent investigators to inspect the damaged plane.
Photo: AirCrashMayday/Twitter.
