Plane’s engine ‘explodes’ just after take off forcing it into emergency landing
Passengers on a short-haul plane ride filmed the moment the Boeing engine exploded into tatters mid-air.
An Arik Air plane was scheduled to fly from Lagos to Port Harcourt when the engine exploded mid-air, forcing an emergency landing at Benin.
The Boeing 737-7GL, with 80 passengers onboard, saw its left engine blow shortly after taking off.
A statement from Arik Air said the cabin crew on flight W3 740 heard a loud bang shortly after take-off and enacted emergency procedures.
The plane made it successfully to Benin on one engine, and no injuries were reported.
A NSIB spokesperson confirmed that the plane encountered an ‘in-flight engine anomaly.’
The statement added: ‘A preliminary assessment team is en route to Benin to secure the aircraft, document evidence, interview relevant personnel and witnesses, and recover flight data and cockpit voice recorder information.’
NSIB said it was working closely with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and Arik Air to establish what happened and any contributing factors.
An Arik Air spokesperson said: ‘We sincerely apologise to the affected Port Harcourt passengers whose journey has been disrupted.
‘The safety and well-being of passengers is always our priority at Arik Air.’
The investigation into the cause of the engine explosion is ongoing.
A similar accident happened last year, when a Boeing passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing after its engine appeared to catch fire.
The Düsseldorf-bound Condor Airlines flight departed from Corfu with 273 passengers onboard, who quickly noticed flames on the plane’s engine.
The right wing was also filmed spurting fire, before the power went out for a few moments.
Cabin crew noticed that the airflow of the right turbine was disrupted at an altitude of 36,000 feet, so pilots switched the engine off.
The plane swerved to Brindisi in southern Italy to make an emergency landing after being in the air for 40 minutes, according to tracking service FlightRadar24.
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