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A Qantas flight to Perth was forced to return to Sydney on Monday morning after the flight crew detected smoke in the cockpit.
Flight QF643 took off from Sydney at around 8:45am aboard the 13-year-old 737-800 VH-VZV, but landed again after circling the airport. The aircraft was able to land safely and taxi back to the gate, with no smoke having entered the cabin.
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According to Qantas, a PAN call was declared after the flight crew noticed the smoke, with the plane being given priority landing. Emergency services attended the aircraft after its arrival, with passengers placed on a replacement flight at 11:30am.
“One of our Sydney to Perth flights returned to Sydney shortly after take-off this morning, after reporting a technical issue,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
“Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this and the aircraft landed safely after the appropriate procedures were conducted. We understand this would have been an unsettling experience for customers and apologise for the inconvenience.
“Our engineers will be checking the aircraft today and we will be conducting an investigation into what caused the issue.”
The incident is the second affecting a Qantas 737-800 at Sydney Airport in recent months after an engine failed on take-off late last year, sparking a grass fire and causing significant delays.
VH-VYH was taking off for flight QF520 to Brisbane on 8 November when its right-hand engine malfunctioned with a loud bang, sending hot metal fragments into the grass near the runway.
As reported in The Australian, the CFM56 engine at fault was nearing the end of its life and was scheduled to be swapped out a few weeks after the incident.
In a statement at the time, Dick Tobiano, Qantas chief pilot, said the airline was investigating what happened, but stressed that its other 737-800 engines are safe.
“Preliminary inspections indicate that it was likely a mechanical failure of the high-pressure turbine. Further details will be released in due course once investigations are completed, but there is no evidence to suggest this is a broader 737 engine issue,” Tobiano said.
“Globally, the CFM56 family has accumulated more than one billion flight hours and the rate of failures is extraordinarily low, and our rates are consistent with world fleet failures for engines of similar age and operating in similar environments.
“The aircraft involved in the incident has returned to service after having the engine replaced.”
