Large Jet Makes Emergency Landing in Singapore
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HONG KONG -- A Qantas Airways plane made an emergency landing in Singapore on Thursday after one of its four engines shut down over western Indonesia, according to a spokeswoman for the Australian airline.
The A380 landed safely at Changi Airport in Singapore, where the flight had originated, the spokeswoman said. The airline rejected initial media reports of an explosion aboard the jetliner.
The Qantas spokeswoman said the flight, which was heading to Sydney, was carrying 433 passengers and 26 crew.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, the Australian government said.
An Indonesian television station, citing eyewitnesses and police, had initially reported debris from the flight had fallen in western Indonesia.
"The aircraft landed safely at 11:45 a.m. local time," Qantas said in a statement. "Some media reports suggested the aircraft had crashed. These reports are incorrect. No Qantas aircraft has crashed."
The plane was forced to return to Singapore after one of the A380's four engines, the No. 2 engine, shut down during the flight, said another Qantas spokeswoman, Emma Kearns, in Sydney.
According to Qantas's Web site, the airline's A380s are equipped to carry up to 450 passengers plus crew.
The emergency landing on Thursday was the latest in reported plane malfunctions this year for the Australian airline.
In late March, a Qantas 747 bound for Singapore was forced to return to Sydney after one of the plane's pilots reported mechanical problems that affected one of the jetliner's engines, according to Australian media.
And on March 31, the airline reported a brake locked up as an A380 landed in Sydney, causing two of the plane's tires to blow out.
On Aug. 31, the airline reported a "catastrophic failure" in an engine of a 747 flying from San Francisco to Sydney, according to The Australian newspaper. The jetliner safely returned to San Francisco.
First Published November 4, 2010 2:01 am
