An Air New Zealand aircraft was forced to perform an emergency landing at Wellington Airport (WLG) when one of its engines caught fire.
The incident occurred on September 1, 2024 at around 16:00 local time. Flight NZ5366 was flying to Wellington from Christchurch Airport (CHC) on a scheduled flight when the ATR 72-600’s left engine emitted smoke, eventually catching fire as the plane was descending.
The incident was caught on video by Wellington Flights Live, which streamed the incident live on its YouTube channel. The clip has now been shared on other social media platforms such as X and Facebook.
The video shows plumes of white smoke emitting from the aircraft’s engine as the plane touches down.
The aircraft was able to land safely on the runway, where it was met by emergency fire vehicles when it came to a stop.
While emergency services checked on the aircraft, passengers were able to exit onto the runway.
In a statement, Air New Zealand said that passengers had been made to disembark the aircraft as a precautionary measure. “The safety of our passengers is our highest priority. The cause of the incident is not yet known,” the airline said.
The ATR 72-600 has been removed from the runway for inspection.
According to Air New Zealand, five flights were diverted while the runway was closed and two other flights have been canceled. The case is currently under investigation by New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC).
