Air New Zealand ATR 72-600 Engine Catches Fire Before Landing At Wellington Airport

Passengers on board an Air New Zealand flight heading into Wellington on Sunday were in for a shock after the left engine of their aircraft caught fire moments before touch down.

On September 1, 2024, Air New Zealand was performing a scheduled domestic flight from Christchurch (CHC) to Wellington (WLG) as NZ5366. All was well on board the ATR72-600-operated flight until the last few seconds before touchdown.

In a video captured by Wellington Flight Live on YouTube (starts at 3 hours, 46 minutes and 47 seconds mark), a huge plume of white smoke was seen emanating from the left engine just moments before touchdown. The pilots were still able to land safely, and brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway.

The smoke stopped momentarily, with a second brief puff pouring out when the engines were shut down. Fire trucks and other emergency personnel were quick to respond, and all passengers and crew were safely evacuated shortly after.

A passenger also shared a photograph of flames coming from the exhaust of the engine (seen below).

The aircraft involved in the incident was ZK-MVL, and first entered service for Mount Cook Airline in May 2016, which later became part of Air New Zealand in December 2019.

Wellington ATR Emergency at Wellington Airport

Following the incident, Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer, David Morgan, said:

“Just after 4pm on 1 September, NZ5366 travelling from Christchurch to Wellington landed safely at Wellington Airport after smoke was emitted from one of the engines.

“In line with our standard operating procedures, passengers were required to disembark onto the runway while airport emergency services attended to the aircraft. This is a precautionary measure as the safety of our passengers is our highest priority. The cause of the incident is not yet known. The aircraft has been removed from the runway for inspection.

“Five Air New Zealand flights were diverted while the runway was closed and two others have been cancelled. Our airport and customer care teams are looking after customers impacted by this incident, and the runway has since reopened.

“This is currently under investigation by TAIC and Air New Zealand doesn’t have anything further to add at this stage.”

Passengers speaking to local media, said that the “crew chief” informed them that there was a reported drop in oil pressure as a result of an oil leak. With oil escaping into the engine area, it would have ignited after coming into contact with hot surfaces, resulting in the pictured flames and trail of white smoke.

As mentioned above, the matter is now being investigated by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission and Air New Zealand to officially determine the cause of the incident.

Featured image: Wellington Flights Live/YouTube

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