Qantas trans-Tasman flight QF144 landed safely at Sydney airport at about 3.30 pm yesterday after issuing a mayday call mid-flight over an engine failure that compelled the flight crew to land using just one of the plane’s two engines.

Five fire rescue vehicles stood ready as crews investigated the aircraft’s left engine, the Guardian reported. The plane, with 145 passengers aboard, then taxied to a gate where passengers disembarked normally.

ABC News reporter Ruby Cornish posted some vivid passenger reactions and photos on Twitter. Click on the link to see them:

Passenger reports from #QF144: Layla Kasem says the flight crew and captain acted professionally and handled the situation well. "The landing was like a kiss on the ground." pic.twitter.com/aBukCqGYVG

— Ruby Cornish (@rubycornish) January 18, 2023

Passengers heard a “bang” from the engine mid-flight. They were informed while in the air that there was an issue with the plane, but they weren’t told till they landed safely that an engine had failed in flight, the Guardian said.

Some were grateful for that lack of information. Most said they didn’t notice anything unusual.

“At the time we didn’t realise it was actually the whole engine had gone,” one woman told ABC TV. “We just heard a bang and that was it, so you don’t know.”

While the plane was still airborne, a Qantas spokesperson explained it had “experienced an issue with one of its engines about an hour from its destination”.

“While a mayday was initially issued, this has now been downgraded to a Pan (possible assistance needed). We will share more information about this incident once the aircraft is on the ground and has been assessed by our engineers.”

The plane was inspected by engineers yesterday evening.

“While inflight engine shutdowns are rare, and would naturally be concerning for passengers, our pilots are trained to manage them safely and aircraft are designed to fly for an extended period on one engine,” the Qantas spokesperson said.

Just before Christmas, a Qantas A380 flight from Singapore to London made an unscheduled landing at Baku Airport in Azerbaijan, after an electronic sensor on the aircraft’s flight deck intermittently alerted the pilots to the possibility of smoke in the cargo hold.

Although it was considered likely to be a sensor fault, the aircraft diverted to Baku as a safety precaution. Subsequent investigations found no evidence of smoke in the hold.

Written by Peter Needham

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