Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Reportedly ‘Caught Fire’ Within 4 Minutes of Takeoff
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A Turkish Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine reportedly ‘caught fire’ after takeoff
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The incident occurred at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal on Wednesday, Feb. 4, according to local outlets
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The plane, carrying 225 passengers and 11 crew members, was diverted west of Kathmandu in order to land safely in India
Pilots were forced to make an emergency landing earlier this week after one of their aircraft’s engines reportedly “caught fire” within minutes of takeoff.
According to FlightAware, Turkish Airlines flight 727 departed the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, around 1:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Feb. 4. The Airbus A330-300 was scheduled to land in Istanbul after about eight-and-a-half hours.
However, within minutes of takeoff, pilots reported a malfunction with one of the engines during its initial climb.
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“The pilot informed the Kathmandu tower and continued flying on a single engine, holding the aircraft for some time over the Dharke area of Dhading district, to assess the situation,” Gyanendra Bhul, a deputy spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), tells The Kathmandu Post.
A spokesperson for CAAN did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Teknath Sitaula, general manager of the Tribhuvan Airport, tells Asian News International (ANI) it was more than a mechanical issue.
“The Turkish Airline with flight number THY272 caught fire within four minutes of the take off, the right engine caught fire,” he said of the flight carrying 225 passengers and 11 crew members.
Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times via Getty
The official told the outlet the plane diverted west of Kathmandu and shut down the right engine.
Twin engine aircrafts can continue flying with one engine, while taking various precautions to not over stress the remaining engine.
Yahya Üstün, a spokesperson for Turkish Airlines, confirmed the incident in a post on X.
“TK727 flight number, operating the Kathmandu–Istanbul route with an Airbus A330 aircraft, received a technical warning related to the right engine after takeoff,” he writes. “The aircraft was diverted to Kolkata Airport in India for the necessary checks and landed safely.”
FlightAware reports the plane landed safely at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Boise International Airport (NSCBI) in Kolkata at 2:48 p.m. local time, after one hour and 34 minutes in the air.
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In Üstün’s post, he confirmed “a new flight arrangement has been made for the continuation of our passengers’ journey.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the Tribhuvan Airport and NSCBI for comment.
Read the original article on People
