Heart-stopping moment jet engine exploded at 38,000ft
PASSENGERS watched in horror as a jet engine on their plane began to disintegrate at 38,000 feet.
The Air France Airbus A380 superjumbo with more than 500 people on board had to make an emergency landing after an explosion in the engine over the Atlantic.
The double-decker aircraft – the world’s largest – was several hours into its flight from paris to Los Angeles when the blowout happened near Greenland on Saturday.
passengers heard a loud bang followed by violent shaking. Video and photos that they posted online showed extensive damage to the outer starboard engine.
David Rehmar, a former aircraft mechanic who was on the flight, said he ‘ heard a loud “boom”’ and for a few moments thought ‘we were going to go down’. He told the BBC that a fan failure may have been to blame. Another passenger, Sarah Eamigh, said: ‘The captain said one of our engines had an explosion.’
The plane was carrying 496 passengers and 24 crew when the engine – one of four – began to break up. Air France said the plane landed safely at Goose Bay airport in Labrador, Canada. ‘The pilots and cabin crew handled this serious incident perfectly,’ its spokesman added.