Pilot tells passengers to “say a prayer” before emergency landing
An AirAsia X flight was turned back to Perth after what seems to be an engine problem, with even the pilot suggesting passengers “say a prayer”.
The A330 flight D7237 was on its way to Kuala Lumpur, when passengers reported hearing a loud bang and seeing the engine under the left wing shaking violently, according to news.com.au.
A blade had sheared off an engine, the captain told passengers at one point, according to Perth Now.
Per news, passenger Sophie Nicolas told the publication that “the plane just started shuddering a lot” after she heard a small explosion.
“I couldn’t see anything,” she told news.
“You could tell by the cabin crew’s reaction that it was really bad.”
Nicolas said the Captain requested the 359 passengers remain seated, explaining the plane was turning back to Perth.
“He said ‘I hope you all say a prayer, I’ll be saying a prayer too and let’s hope we all get back home safely’,” she told news.
Other passengers report feeling the whole plane shudder, while a strong engine odour could be smelt throughout the cabin after the alleged engine issue, per the ABC.
“There was sort of a bang, and you could see the cabin crew were startled, and then a shudder started straight away, and I had a sense the plane was turning around,” passenger Dave Parry told ABC.
Brenton Atkinson told the ABC he looked out of the window and could see the engine rattling on the wing.
“It was essentially the engine seized up I think, that’s what they told us anyway,” he told ABC.
“It was literally like you were sitting on top of a washing machine. The whole thing was going. We could see the engine out the window which was really shaken on the wing.”
Per the ABC, a spokeswoman for the airline said emergency services were called in as a precaution only, with the airline following normal procedure.
Australia 2 Malaysia.airplane fan blade went missing. Pls pray for my sister which onboard @AirAsia do something please! @tonyfernandes ??? pic.twitter.com/9X99pO6S5z
— Haji Akil (@haji_akil) June 25, 2017
The spokeswoman was unable to confirm if it was in fact an engine problem, claiming only that it was a “technical issue”.
In a statement sent to Travel Weekly, AirAsia said the flight was forced to turn around for a “technical reason”.
It read: “The safety of our guests and crew is of utmost importance to us. We are conducting an investigation into the cause of the incident together with our engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce. We are also cooperating fully with the local aviation authorities.
“We would like to stress that AirAsia Group has always strictly followed the maintenance programme prescribed by our manufacturers. We have also complied with all regulations and requirements as set forth by every country where the airline operates, including Australia.
“In Australia, AirAsia Group has regularly passed safety and security audits conducted by the local aviation authorities.
“AirAsia Group has also initiated the process of undergoing voluntary IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) auditing for all airlines within the group, including AirAsia X Malaysia, AirAsia X Indonesia and AirAsia Indonesia, with AirAsia X Malaysia receiving two IOSA audit certificates in 2015 and 2016.
“AirAsia remains committed to meeting all safety and security requirements in all the countries that we operate in.”
The plane landed safely back in Perth while passengers were transferred to other flights.
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