Qantas flight to Fiji forced to turn back after ‘potential mechanical issue’

Following up on Wednesday’s incident on the flight from New Zealand, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has commenced an investigation into the engine failure, which will be conducted by three transport safety investigators with experience in aircraft maintenance, operations and data recovery.

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The bureau will use cockpit voice recordings and flight data to determine the cause of the fault. The scope of the investigation and its timeframe are yet to be determined.

Passengers on Wednesday’s flight said they felt a “slight shudder” as the engine stopped over the Tasman Sea and were notified of a “slight malfunction”, but were not told about the mayday call until the plane landed.

A Qantas spokesperson said the aircraft experienced an issue with one of its two engines about an hour from Sydney and issued a mayday alert – otherwise known as “squawking 7700” – in line with standard procedures.

“While in flight, 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 spokesperson said.

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Mayday is the word used by aviators to signal a life-threatening emergency. The mayday alert was downgraded to a PAN (possible assistance needed), which alerts the relevant airspace authorities to an abnormal situation so that the aircraft can be prioritised for landing, but indicates a significantly less severe situation.

Boeing 737s can fly safely with a single engine. The aircraft known as VH-XZB has been in operation for 10 years and seats 174 passengers.

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