Bali-bound jet diverted to Melbourne after engine issue
A Bali-bound Batik Air flight was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing in Melbourne after an engine failed during take-off.
Flight OD178 departed Melbourne Airport for Denpasar on Tuesday morning but was compelled to return shortly after leaving the runway, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Emergency crews were placed on standby as the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft landed safely back in Melbourne following a fuel burn-off over the city’s outer suburbs.
The aircraft model is the same type involved in two fatal crashes involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines in 2018 and 2019, though those accidents were linked to issues with the flight control system.
Passengers told 7News the take-off felt unusual, noting the plane was flying low and struggled to gain altitude.
“I kind of started to doze and then I get a little bit of a nudge from him going, ‘we’re not going very high, something’s wrong here’,” one passenger said.
It is understood many of the passengers on board were school leavers travelling to Bali for end-of-year celebrations.
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