Malaysia Airlines Flight Returns To Hyderabad After Engine Catches Fire Mid-Air

Flight MH 199, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, was scheduled to land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 7.10 am (local time). It had 138 people on board, but no injuries were reported. 

Hyderabad: A Kuala Lumpur-bound Malaysia Airlines flight returned to Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Thursday morning after the engine developed a snag mid-air. The flight took off around 12.30 am and one of its engines subsequently caught fire, NDTV reported.

The plane made a safe emergency landing in Hyderabad at 3.21 am, with no casualties reported, a Malaysia Airlines spokesperson was quoted as saying in a report by The Hindu.

A video of sparks flying from the engine – filmed by a passenger – has since gone viral.

Flight MH 199, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, was scheduled to land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 7.10 am (local time). It had 138 people on board, including seven crew members, PTI reported. 

According to the report in The Hindu, as the pilot took note of the snag, he contacted the Air Traffic Control (ATC) for permission to land. 

A Malaysia Airlines spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report that the engine issue emerged during the climb after take-off. All affected passengers will be rebooked on other flights for their onward journey, the spokesperson said, adding that the aircraft is currently grounded for further inspection.

"We can confirm that flight MH199 returned to Hyderabad due to an issue with one of the engines during climb after take-off. The aircraft landed safely at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 3:21 am local time; all passengers and crew disembarked safely," said the Sepang-based flag carrier of Malaysia. "Affected passengers will be reallocated to other flights for their continued journey. The aircraft is currently on the ground for further inspection. Safety remains of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines," the spokesperson added. 

NDTV reported that the ATC promptly cleared the aircraft for an emergency landing but, due to safety protocols, the plane circled briefly before landing. Authorities are investigating the cause of the snag.

In a similar recent incident, a Virgin Australia passenger plane from Queenstown, New Zeeland to Melbourne, Australia, made an emergency landing in Invercargill, New Zealand, after one of its engines stopped working due to a fire. Virgin Australia attributed the incident to a possible bid strike. Fire truck met the plane as it landed approximately 50 minutes after taking off, with witnesses reporting loud bangs and seeing the engine catch fire, according to the New Zealand Herald.