An airplane’s engine ‘exploded’ shortly after takeoff at Sydney Airport forcing an emergency landing and possibly sparking a massive grassfire.
It’s understood Qantas flight QF520 had just taken off from Sydney to Brisbane shortly before 1pm when one of the engines failed and passengers heard a loud ‘bang’.
The plane was forced to circle Botany Bay before making an emergency landing with all 174 passengers disembarking safely.
Around the same time, a huge grass fire started near the airport’s third runway in the vicinity of Sir Joseph Banks Park. It is not known whether the two incidents are linked.
Huge clouds of smoke could be seen billowing above the airport as NSW Fire Service crews fought to get the blaze under control.
All flights in and out of the airport have reportedly been halted while fire crews battle the blaze.
A Qantas spokesperson said its ‘engineers have conducted a preliminary inspection of the engine and confirmed it was a contained engine failure’.
‘While…
