ANA All Nippon Airways flight en route from Fukuoka to Tokyo had to turn around and land at its departing airport after one of Boeing 767 engines caught fire during the climb.
The flight NH246 took off from Fukuoka Airport (FUK) on December 19, 2019. The Boeing 767-300 with 270 passengers and eight crew on board was at the climbing stage of the flight when the aircraft suffered a right side engine failure.
On the ground, witnesses reported hearing a loud bang. Looking up, they saw the engine of the departing plane in flames. One passenger on board the flight NH246 told Japan Current Affairs Agency that a loud bang was heard as soon as the aircraft pulled away from the runway. The lighting in the cabin temporarily went out.
According to witnesses’ accounts, the pilot informed passengers that an engine caught fire, but assured that it did not pose a threat to flight safety.
The pilots shut down the faulty engine and headed back to the departing airport. The emergency landing went successfully, the aircraft landed some 25 minutes after it took off and was met by the airport’s emergency services.
No passengers or crew were injured during the incident.
All Nippon Airways Boeing 767-300, registration number JA606A, has been in the airline’s fleet for over 17 years, planespotters.net data shows. It is powered by GE engines.
全日空機 エンジントラブルで緊急着陸 福岡空港https://t.co/pQSI5rwjPc#nhk_news #nhk_video pic.twitter.com/yCp4edMqde
— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) December 19, 2019