Third Qantas Flight Encounters Engine Problem

A Qantas Boeing 747 during a fly past at the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 15, 2015. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Another Qantas aeroplane has encountered an engine issue and been forced to land shortly after taking off, marking the third incident for Australia’s national carrier in three days.

The QF430 flight, a Boeing 737, which departed from Melbourne to Sydney at around 9:40 a.m. on Jan. 20, had to turn back just 10 minutes into its journey and landed safely at Tullamarine Airport.

Qantas said the incident was a precaution taken by the company after the pilots found a minor engine issue.

“Customers will be re-accommodated on the next available flights over the next few hours,” Qantas said in a statement obtained by AAP.

“The aircraft landed normally—this was not an emergency or priority landing. Both engines remained operational throughout the flight.”

Third Incident in Three Days

The new incident comes just one day after two other Qantas flights also encountered engine problems.

On Jan. 19, a Qantas flight en route to Fiji had to circle around the New South Wales coast for nearly two hours before landing at Sydney Airport due to potential mechanical troubles.

Qantas said the pilots received a “fault indicator” and followed the standard practice for this type of situation.

“Our Sydney to Fiji flight has returned to Sydney as a precaution after pilots received a fault indicator about a potential mechanical issue,” a Qantas spokesperson said, reported the ABC.

“The pilots followed standard procedures, and the aircraft has landed normally in Sydney.”

One day earlier, the QF144 flight from Auckland to Sydney was forced to issue a mayday call after the Boeing 737 lost one of its two engines when it was about an hour away from Sydney Airport.

A mayday call is an international distress signal used by ships and aircraft to indicate that it is in grave and imminent danger and needs immediate assistance.

The pilots of QF144 had to turn off the engine and manage to land safely at Kingsford Smith Airport at about 3:30 p.m.

Qantas flight QF144 berths at a gate at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 18, 2023. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Passengers onboard were informed about the engine problems when they landed, while some reported that they heard a loud “bang” sound.

One passenger said he didn’t realise how serious the situation was until he saw cameras waiting for passengers outside the terminal.

Another passenger said there was a problem with air conditioning during the flight, causing everyone to be frustrated and sweaty.

However, she said there was not much panic when passengers learned of the engine failure.

Boeing 737s is capable of flying on one engine, but any engine loss is considered very serious.

Following the QF144 incident, transport safety investigators said they would analyse the cockpit voice recorder and flight data.

The series of engine-related incidents is a blow to Qantas’ reputation as the national carrier just regained its world’s safest airline title for 2023 after dropping to seventh place in 2022.

Nina Nguyen contributed to this article.