Qantas 737 Lands Safely After Mayday Over The Pacific Ocean

A Qantas aircraft from Auckland to Sydney has landed safely after issuing a mayday alert mid-flight over the Pacific Ocean.

FlightRadar said the plane, a twin-jet Boeing 737-800 travelling from Auckland to Sydney, was over the Pacific Ocean when the distress call was sent.

According to many sources, the plane’s engines failed. The aircraft, a twin-jet B737-800 capable of landing with just one engine, arrived at Sydney airport around 3:30 p.m., five minutes after its scheduled arrival time of 3:25 p.m.

NSW Ambulance reported that its paramedics responded to a mayday call received by QF144.

According to flight data, the jet lost altitude and speed less than an hour into the three-hour flight.

According to Airservices Australia, a mayday call is an internationally recognised emergency, or distress call sent when a flight is in severe and imminent danger and requires rapid help.

When the call is issued, controllers notify aviation rescue, firefighting, and emergency services and provide instructions on how to respond. They also assist pilots.

Qantas has initiated an investigation into the engine failure that forced the crew to issue a mayday call on flight QF144.

Engineers and aviation safety inspectors will analyse the plane’s jet to determine why it failed, causing a mayday call and emergency landing over the Pacific Ocean.

Qantas said while “inflight engine shutdowns” are unusual and disturbing for passengers, pilots are trained “to manage them safely, and aircraft are intended to operate for a longer duration on one engine”.

Qantas further stated that the findings would be shared after the engineers conclude their evaluation.