Qantas engineers confirmed a contained engine failure occurred on flight QF520 from Sydney to Brisbane, with no explosion but a loud bang heard by customers.
The incident took place shortly after take-off from from runway 34R at Sydney Airport, where the aircraft, a 19 years old B737-800 registration VH-VYH with engine model CFMI CFM56-7B, circled before returning safely.
The airline contacted affected customers for support, rebooked passengers onto other flights and will conduct an investigation into the cause of the engine failure,.
Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano assured that pilots are well-trained for such situations and followed all appropriate procedures: “One of our flights to Brisbane experienced a suspected engine failure after take-off from Sydney Airport. After circling for a short period of time, the aircraft landed safely at Sydney Airport. Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this and the aircraft landed safely after the appropriate procedures were conducted. We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support. We will also be conducting an investigation into what caused the engine issue.”
