Qantas flight lands safely after midair 'mayday' call

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-XZB (MSN 39360)

A Qantas flight travelling from Auckland New Zealand (AKL/NZAA) to Sydney Australia (SYD/YSSY) made a 'mayday' call on descent into Sydney due to an engine failure.

Passengers have described hearing a loud “bang” as one of the engines failed mid-air during the flight to Sydney.

Firefighters and paramedics were on standby at Sydney airport after a mayday call was issued by flight QF144 about 2.10pm. The alert was later downgraded to a PAN, which means Possible Assistance Needed.

A passenger mentioned the pilot communicated with passengers about an “engine problem” but not until we landed and not that they had issued a mayday call.

The flight was scheduled to leave Auckland at 13.35 (Auckland time) but didn't get away until 14.30.

Departing from 23L it climbed to flight level 360 where the flight was uneventful. 

Playing back flightradar24 it looks like the engine failed 30 mins into the flight as QF144 dropped from 360 to 250.

Then, once again according to flightradar24, 30 minutes out of Sydney a 'mayday' call was made as the plane turned from yellow to red. The 'mayday' was then downgraded to 'pan' and the aircraft landed safely on 34L at 15.26 Sydney time.

Passenger Nigel Morris said: “We didn’t know anything at the time but we’re here safe.
“When they said we could turn on our phones, I turned on my phone and my wife had called about 18 times he said.

“It’s a debate about whether it’s better to know or not to know.”

One couple told reporters “We didn’t realise the whole engine had gone, we just heard a bang and that was it.

“There were a few gasps when they told us on the actual runway, but we had already landed.”

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Qantas

Code: QF/QFA

Aircraft: Boeing 737-838

Registration: VH_XZB

Serial Number: 39360

Engine: 2 x CFMI CFM56-7B26

First Flew: 13th September 2012

Age: 10 Yrs. 2 Mts