via Air Zim plane in mid-air engine scare 06 August 2014
AN Air Zimbabwe plane was forced to turn back about halfway into a Harare-Bulawayo flight Wednesday after developing an engine fault.
Flight UM331 was said to have been carrying 60 passengers, some of them members of an Australian parliamentary delegation visiting the country.
Passengers boarded the plane for the 45-minute flight at around 07.15 hours but the pilot was forced to return to Harare International Airport 20 minutes later.
Air Zimbabwe public relations executive, Shingai Dhliwayo, could not be reached for comment.
“Passengers boarded the plane and after some five minutes the pilot started the engines and then stopped again,” said the official who requested anonymity.
“Engineers were called and looked at the engine after which the plane took off. But after about 20 minutes, it made a U-turn.
“The pilot did not say anything; perhaps he didn’t want to cause panic among passengers.
One of the passengers Kelvin Mbuko from Zvishavane said most passengers did not know the plane had developed a fault until it had landed back at Harare International Airport.
Sources said several passengers believed to be parliamentarians from Australia refused to board the plane again after it was attended to by engineers, delaying the 45 minute journey by nearly two hours.
COMMENTS
travel air zimbabwe at your own peril !
biggus u have no idea wat u r talking abt. Based on statistics, air zim is one of the safest airliners and despite their obsolete fleet they are very cautious
Was it that Chinese deathtrap serviced by Cubans I heard
Surely,passengers should have realised when the plane banked to the left or right to make a u-turn and be able to see the country side to notice the change in the flight path.This flight was during a clear morning period and this route is short so the planes do not reach their normal flight altitudes.You will be like to fly over 30 000 feet altitude between Hre and Byo.
When engines start and then stop,something is really bad which requires proper service investigation not a quick fix type method with shortcuts.
Well said
Planes don’t fall after engine failures as long as the pilot can keep above stall speed ,they can glide to a safe landing area ,depending on the glide ratio.
Scare Zimbabwe!
Chinese Airplabes aka Air Zim UM Chakuti, Last time i checked There is only one Reliable Air Zimbawe Plane which is that Big airbus 737-300 the rest are Chinese Toy Planes Board at Own Risk, Engine failure hahahha on a Plane, itai mega lol anyway, God Is For Us All , But Please If you travelling locally either drive or take City Lik its safer not fall like a bird from 37000 ft
Strange that if it reached half way and turned around? Why not continue to Bulawayo? Maybe Bulawayo does not have spares or engineers?
mahwanii
Zimbabwe Scareways!
@JRR56-flight rules allows any plane within half its scheduled route to return to its major repair centre unless it has passed the half way point of the intended destination point.When making this decision some important safety and security factors are considered by the plane’s captain.If on the other hand the situation is very critical then the captain has the right to make any emergency landing at any small airport available on his route or near that route.