An aircraft travelling from Queenstown to Melbourne appears to have fire coming from an engine Video / Aaron Henderson / Dani Wilson / Supplied
A passenger onboard an Australia-bound flight from Queenstown heard a loud “bang” moments before flames burst from the engine, forcing an emergency landing.
On Monday, flight VA148 passenger Michael Hayward took a video from his seat, which he posted online, showing flames shooting from the side of the Virgin Airlines plane before it diverted to Invercargill, where it landed safely, about 7pm.
He said he heard the sound about 10 seconds after take-off.
“Flames started to shoot out the right-hand engine as it tried to restart itself.
“Initially after the bang, there was some panic and crying, but this very quickly stopped as people comforted each other, and within minutes, laughter as people joked about how they [would] get home without flying, they’ll never go on a plane again,” Hayward said.
Hayward said that 20 minutes later the pilot told passengers over the speaker that a flock of birds had been spotted and had been “ingested into the engine”.
He said as soon as the cabin crew could, they went to every passenger and reassured them and resecured the cabin.
“The pilots flying on one engine were excellent, the cabin crew did a great job and the ground team at Invercargill Airport to help turn us around promptly.”
Hayward had spent a month exploring the south of New Zealand and was returning home to the United Kingdom.
He missed his connecting flights due to the incident and was unsure how long it would be until he got home.
Another passenger told the Otago Daily Times the experience was “absolutely horrifying”.
“We are beyond keen to get home, but no idea what is going on,” the woman said.
Serene Ting Gin Luoi reported seeing flames out of the window.
Her mother Chan Su Fang told the ODT the mood inside the plane had been worried but calm.
Virgin Australia chief operations officer Stuart Aggs said passengers would be taken back to Queenstown by bus, flown to Brisbane at 4.30pm before leaving for Melbourne at 9.25pm.
Queenstown Airport media spokesperson Sara Irvine said Virgin will inspect the engine and check whether it really was a bird to blame for the situation.
She said they suspect it may have been a duck - a smaller duck - but stressed only Virgin Airlines will be able to confirm.
Flames engulfed an engine on a Virgin Airlines flight bound for Melbourne. Photo / Michael Hayward
The plane had just left Queenstown Airport and appeared to have experienced engine trouble during take-off, about 6pm on Monday.
VA148 Flight from Queenstown to Melbourne was diverted to Invercargill after what appeared to be an engine fire on board. Photo / via Queenstown Trading Meta
Meanwhile, Queenstown Airport’s chief executive believes a large bird must have been involved in the Virgin Airways incident
Glen Sowry said that a bird strike couldn’t be confirmed until the 737′s engine was inspected.
As stressful as it was for passengers to see flames outside the plane, it was “not unusual” for birds to get into a plane’s engine and the passengers were “not in any danger” at any point during the incident.
Sowry told the Herald that, as common as it was to get birds into the engine during a flight, they were not normally as big as he suspected this particular bird was.
Airport staff had done a sweep of the runaway ahead of the flight taking off, as it is standard procedure, and no bird life had been detected so Sowry believed the bird got into the plane “in transit”.
The airline had made arrangements for passengers to embark on their flight to Australia this afternoon and Queenstown Airport would be making sure they feel safe and comfortable once they arrive from Invercargill.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission says it will not be investigating the incident based on what is known so far.
“As always, this may change on the basis of relevant new information,” the commission said this morning.
“The Transport Accident Investigation Commission opens an inquiry when it believes the circumstances of an accident or incident have - or are likely to have - significant implications for transport safety, or when the inquiry may allow the Commission to make findings or recommendations to improve transport safety.”
‘It was making one hell of a pulsing/throbbing noise’
Witness Nick Lambert saw the aircraft flying overhead.
“It was making one hell of a pulsing/throbbing noise out of one engine then it was shooting flames out.
“It continued climbing and the noise and flame stopped.”
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glynn Lewers said it would have been a pretty scary moment for the passengers, but all the procedures and protocols for that type of incident went according to plan.
“From our point of view, the airline and pilot did what needed to be done and followed procedures and we got a safe landing in Invercargill, which is great.”
In an update shortly before 9pm, Aggs said all passengers had safely disembarked the aircraft.
The Civil Aviation Authority said it was aware of the incident involving a Virgin Australia aircraft that took off from Queenstown and diverted to Invercargill.
“It was unofficially reported that there was an engine fire on climb-out as a result of a suspected bird strike.”
Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark said he was pleased the plane was able to land safely in Invercargill and all passengers were well and safe in what must have been a frightening situation.
“The quick response from our team at the airport is commendable and shows a real benefit of having a monitored control tower and the third longest runway in New Zealand, along with a well-equipped fire rescue team.”
Medical emergency diverts Auckland-bound flight to Los Angeles
It comes as another international flight was diverted last night.
The Air New Zealand flight bound for Auckland from Houston was diverted to Los Angeles due to a medical emergency.
Chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan confirmed the diversion.
“Due to the nature of the emergency with a passenger requiring medical care, the aircraft is now diverting to Los Angeles and is due to land around 2200 New Zealand time,” Morgan said.
Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.
