Here we go again...
This is starting to become a bit of a worry
Sydney Morning Herald
Qantas flight forced to turn back due to engine problem
CRAIG PLATT
April 6, 2010 - 11:13AM
Another Qantas flight has been forced to turn back after take-off, this time due to an engine problem.
QF1 from Bangkok to Heathrow Airport in London experienced an engine surge shortly after take-off at 4am (AEST) this morning.
The captain of the Boeing 747 shut down the engine and returned to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport at 5.30am.
The incident comes the day after a Qantas passenger threatened to bring down a flight from Sydney to Singapore using the power of his mind.
Engineers were examining the QF1 aircraft and a replacement jet was being flown from Sydney to Bangkok. The flight's 335 passengers were transferred to a hotel, Qantas said.
"There was no safety issue at any stage – Boeing 747 aircraft can fly normally on three engines," Qantas said in a statement.
The incident comes after another long-haul Qantas flight was grounded in Melbourne yesterday after a cockpit window cracked during a flight from Los Angeles.
The Australian airline has faced a string of technical problems on its flights in recent months - from tyres blowing out during landing, to engine troubles.
On Friday, a flight from Perth to Brisbane was delayed after a wing flap defect was found.
On the same day, a Qantas Boeing 747 travelling from Brisbane to Los Angeles was grounded after a wiring problem was found in one of its engines.
Last Wednesday, two tyres burst on an A380 superjumbo as it landed at Sydney Airport.
The day before, a Sydney-Singapore flight turned back when a pilot found an engine problem.
In December, a 747 flight from Singapore to Melbourne was forced to turn back after an engine surge.