China Eastern cops massive hole in engine mid-flight

China Eastern cops massive hole in engine mid-flight

A China Eastern plane was turned back to Sydney one hour into the flight when a massive hole formed in part of its left engine.

According to the ABC, Flight MU736 departed Sydney for Shanghai at 8.30pm on Sunday night when the fault occurred.

China Eastern Airlines’ Oceania General Manager Kathy Zhang told ABC in a statement that the plane “encountered an engine problem after take-off”.

“The crew observed the abnormal situation of the left engine and decided to return to Sydney airport immediately,” she added.

Firefighters were called to be on standby on the tarmac when the flight landed back in Sydney, according to a Sydney Airport spokesperson.

Passengers aboard the plane had overnight accommodation arranged and new flights arranged, with the aircraft under investigation in Sydney.

Photos have also cropped up on Twitter showing the extent of the damage to the engine, while an aviation expert told the ABC he’d “never seen that sort of thing happen before” but that the plane could fly comfortably with one engine alone.

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According to the ABC, one passenger Ashley Beck, said she heard strange noises onboard, leaving herself and her companions worried.

“It kind of smelt like burning a little bit,” she said. “Later on [after take-off] they said there were mechanical issues.

“I was scared, really scared, our whole group was terrified,” she told ABC.

Image: Facebook, Dave Knight 

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