Perth-bound Qantas flight makes urgent landing in Geraldton
Passengers have thanked a Qantas captain for his calm response to an in-flight incident on a Perth-bound flight from Western Australia’s Midwest.
The Fokker 100 aircraft left Geraldton at 9am but turned back a short time later, circling north-east of the city’s airport for a short time before landing without incident.
Speaking after disembarking at Geraldton Airport, passenger Loic Frison said the issues became apparent around 45 minutes into the flight.
The aircraft circled north-east of Geraldton before safely touching down in the city. (Supplied: FlightRadar24)
“The captain took the mic and said, ‘There is a vibration on the left side of the plane, so stay calm and we go back to Geraldton to do an emergency landing,'” he said.
“It dropped altitude and we could see through the window that it was very near the ground, so it was a bit stressful.
“It was really strange. Everyone was calm. Nobody was speaking. Pretty calm but really anxious.”
Passengers Mathilde Tricoire and Loic Foison were on board the flight. (ABC News: Chloe Henville)
Praise for flight crew
Fellow passenger Mathilde Tricoire said she could feel the vibrations in the cabin.
“I wasn’t anxious, I think, because of the adrenaline,” she said.
Qantas says passengers will be rebooked on the next available flight. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chloe Henville)
“I felt pretty bad because I thought maybe we were going to land in the middle of nowhere.”
Rebecca Bryett had been visiting Geraldton from the Sunshine Coast.
She praised the composure of the flight crew.
“[The pilot] very clearly explained there was a problem with one of the engines, they put it in idle mode and they were standing by for instructions for what to do next,” Ms Bryett said.
Rebecca Bryett says the flight crew did an excellent job returning the passengers to safety. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chloe Henville)
“He tried to make the occasional little joke to keep everyone happy, but it was amazing how quiet the plane was; not a word being said.
“I did have some tears when it landed.”
Pilot ‘followed protocol’
In a statement, a Qantas spokesperson said the aircraft suffered a minor technical issue, and apologised for inconvenience to the passengers.
They said the plane followed protocol and requested a priority landing.
“Our pilots followed normal procedure and the aircraft landed safely,” the spokesperson said.
They said the aircraft would be examined before it returned to service, and all passengers would be placed on alternate flights today.
Police and fire crews respond to the emergency landing at Geraldton Airport. (ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Chloe Henville)
The City of Greater Geraldton owns and operates the airport.
CEO Ross McKim said the flight returned to Geraldton due to high vibrations in the left engine.
He said the airport activated its emergency plan, with emergency services on stand-by, and the plane landed safely just before 10:30 am.
