Qantas confirmed that the cause of an engine problem on a flight from Bangkok to London that prompted an unscheduled landing is similar to other incidents involving Rolls-Royce engines.
The Boeing 747 with 308 passengers turned around and landed safely back in Bangkok this morning as a precautionary measure after “an increase in vibration” and “high temperatures” from one of its four engines, a Qantas spokesman said.
“The pilots shut down this engine and as a precaution returned to Bangkok,” he said. “We believe the cause is similar to events that other airlines are experiencing and is subject to an increased monitoring program from the manufacturer Rolls-Royce.”
Engine trouble on a Cathay Pacific flight prompted an Airbus A330 to make an emergency landing in Singapore on Monday. Fire crews at Singapore doused sparks in the No. 2 engine, which triggered a “stall warning” just over an hour after take-off.
A near-catastrophic engine explosion on a Qantas A380 superjumbo in November forced an emergency landing in Singapore and prompted the Australian carrier to ground its entire fleet of the double-decker aircraft.
A Qantas B747 from Sydney to Singapore shut down one of its four engines mid-flight earlier this month after “there was an increase in vibration” in the engine.
A report by Australia’s national transport safety investigator released this week confirmed the explosion in November was caused by a manufacturing defect in the pipes of a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine.
Subsequent to the pipe issue, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said Rolls-Royce removed 53 of its Trent 900 engines from service over concerns about pipe thickness.