An Air Caraibes Airbus A330-300 suffered an engine problem, with noises and flashes being reported, during departure from Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), Sant Martin.
The incident occurred on December 28, 2021 at approximately 7:15 pm AST (23:15 UTC). The aircraft, registered as F-ORLY, took off as flight TX527 to Paris Orly (ORY).
According to the Aviation herald, the crew noticed the overheat indication on the left engine shortly after take-off. They stopped the climb and reduced the thrust, before shutting the engine down completely.
The Daily Herald reports that eyewitnesses heard several loud explosions and saw a flash coming from the engine. According to the newspaper, SXM CEO Brian Mingo described it as an “engine blow-out”, although he did not elaborate on what might have caused the incident.
Seven minutes after the take-off the aircraft turned around and proceeded to land at SXM. None of 30 passengers onboard were harmed during the incident.
According to Radarbox data, the aircraft in question remains parked as of January 3.
F-ORLY was delivered to Air Caraibes in 2006, Planespotters.net data shows. It is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW4168 engines.
#TransportAérien problème de réacteur sur le vol TX527 au départ de Sint Maarten à destination de Paris Orly. L’Airbus A330 a été contraint de faire demi tour après 18 min de vol pour se poser à Juliana. Les 30 passagers sont sains et saufs @aircaraibes @guadeloupela1e pic.twitter.com/sFyBao2CMP
— Eric Stimpfling (@StimpflingEric) December 29, 2021