An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300ER registered ET-AMG, has encountered a serious problem on Flight ET908, on October 8, 2019, the airline confirmed in a press release. As the aircraft departed Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS) in Dakar, Senegal for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a stop at Bamako, Mali, the right-hand engine of the 767 caught fire and the flight crew was forced to declare an emergency.
The aircraft managed to safely turn around and land at Dakar. The 90 passengers and eight crew members debarked the aircraft without sustaining any injuries, as firefighters rushed to the scene. Ethiopian Airlines confirmed that some passengers were rebooked to fly with other carriers on the same day, while some stayed overnight at a hotel to wait for a flight on October 9, 2019.
Meanwhile, the flight crew snapped several pictures with the firefighters after the flames were put out, as tweeted by the official account of Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS):
— Aéroport Dakar Blaise Diagne (@DKaeroport) October 8, 2019
Currently, the Ethiopian flag carrier operates six Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with an average age of 17.3 years. The airframe in question, ET-AMG is a 19-year old jet equipped with two Pratt and Whitney PW4062 engines, delivered to Ethiopian Airlines on July 7, 2007, according to planespotters.net data. It is the fourth oldest plane in the airline’s fleet – on average, Ethiopian’s aircraft are 6.4 years old.
Ethiopian Airlines had a fairly difficult year so far – back in March, one of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft plunged into the ground near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, claiming the lives of 157 people on board. Following the crash, the whole world to ground the 737 MAX. Nevertheless, the carrier managed to achieve a fairly sizeable profit in FY2019, showcasing resilience in the face of adversity.
The airline was not immediately available for comment to further elaborate about the incident in Dakar.