A witness on the ground said he saw “six or seven flame bursts” emanate from the plane’s engine and heard “loud bangs” during the incident
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A Qantas flight from New Zealand to Australia was diverted after witnesses reported seeing flames and hearing loud bangs from one of the plane’s engines
- The aircraft landed safely at Christchurch Airport in New Zealand, where emergency crews were waiting, and no injuries were reported
- New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority said the issue was caused by a bird strike, according to 7News
A Qantas flight en route from New Zealand to Australia was diverted after witnesses on the ground reported seeing “flames” coming from one of its engines.
The incident occurred on flight QF122, which was traveling from Queenstown to Sydney on Saturday, Sept. 5, according to Nine.com.au, 7News and New Zealand news outlet Stuff.
According to the aviation data and flight-tracking website FlightAware, the flight — which typically takes about three hours — departed Queenstown on time at 4:05 p.m. local time on Saturday.
The Boeing 737 landed at Christchurch Airport in New Zealand just 52 minutes later.
Qantas did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Credit: Kai Schwoerer/Getty
Emergency crews were at the airport to meet the plane when it landed, according to a spokesperson for Christchurch Airport, per Stuff.
A spokesperson for the airline said the plane landed “safely” and reported no injuries, per Nine.com.au and 7News.
“One of our flights to Sydney experienced a suspected engine issue after take-off from Queenstown this afternoon, and the aircraft diverted to Christchurch,” the spokesperson said.
“Our pilots are highly trained to manage situations like this, and the aircraft landed safely,” the spokesperson continued, adding, “We know this would have been a distressing experience for passengers and will be contacting all customers to provide support.”
The airline also said it would provide passengers with accommodation and arrange alternative flights, per Nine.com.au.
Credit: Wolter Peeters / The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty
A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand said a bird strike caused the issue, according to 7News.
The Civil Aviation Authority did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Mark Venning, a witness who lives in Frankton, a suburb of Queenstown, said he was driving nearby at the time of the incident.
“I was driving along Frankton Road and heard the popping sounds, like loud gunshots,” he recalled while speaking to Stuff.
“[I] looked up and saw orange flames being ejected from the left engine,” he added.
Brothers Campbell and Daniel Longmire, also Frankton residents, said they were at home when the incident occurred.
“Its left engine started spitting out flames, and then I got everyone to go look because I thought it was a one-off thing,” Campbell said.
“And then it was flying over, and it did like maybe six or seven flame bursts and loud bangs,” he continued.
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“It was really loud — it really echoed around the valley. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Daniel added.
“We’re all a bit shaken. We didn’t know what was happening. You know, you don’t see stuff like that every day,” he said.
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