Air New Zealand probes Boeing 737 engine failure

May 10, 2011, 2:54pm
Manila Bulletin

WELLINGTON (AFP) – Air New Zealand said Monday it was investigating why an engine on a Boeing 737 failed in mid-air over the weekend, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.

Passengers said a ''huge bang'' rocked the plane during the flight from Auckland to Wellington early Sunday, as flames and smoke poured from the engine.

Air New Zealand reported no injuries and the plane, which was carrying 95 passengers and six crew, landed safely after diverting to Hamilton airport.

The airline said the crew noticed low oil pressure in the right-hand engine during the flight and shut it down as a precaution, with an inspection after landing confirming there was an oil leak.

''The engineers have found that oil did leak from the engine and will now transport it to our engineering facilities in Auckland, where it will be fully inspected over the next few days to determine the cause,'' it said.
Passenger Sarah Craven said it was a terrifying experience.

''There was a burst of flame and some smoke and then the whole plane shuddered,'' she told the Dominion Post newspaper. ''We plummeted left for about three seconds and then straightened up.

''Lots of people went 'Oh my God!' or yelped. A few people started crying. The poor guy in front of me had a panic attack and needed an oxygen mask.''

Fellow passenger Mike O'Donnell praised the pilot and crew for their calm response to the crisis and said authorities were well prepared when the plane landed in Hamilton.

''They had all the fire appliances out and there were paramedics on board and there were flashing lights,'' he told Radio New Zealand.

''They doused that part of the runway with water, just in case there was fire.''

In a separate incident, an Air New Zealand-owned 1900D Beech flying from Gisborne to Auckland on Sunday was forced to turn back a few minutes into the flight after the pilot noticed an engine was giving false power readings.

''The captain elected to shut down that engine as a precaution to prevent any possible damage to it and landed back at Gisborne,'' Air New Zealand said.