Right after taking off, it was clear that something was wrong with the plane. A television station in Los Angeles showed shots of the machine of the Philippine Airlines, from an engine flames and smoke. Despite the spectacular images, the incident in California went off lightly. The plane was able to return to the departure airport and land.
"All passengers are safe and are now supported in the search for a replacement flight," said a spokeswoman for the airline. The crew of Flight 113 en route to Manila immediately set off the alarm and steered the Boeing 777 back to Los Angeles. On landing, she was expected by a large contingent of the fire department, but the plane was easily back on the ground. Apparently, there were no more flames at this time.
Video taken by Dennis Baluyot, a passenger on the #PhilippineAirlines flight that has been to LAX, shows flames shooting out of the engine shortly after takeoff. @ABCWorldNews @ABC pic.twitter.com/ery8QjhbJW
- Connor Burton (@cburtjourno) November 21, 2019On board had 347 passengers and 18 crew members. Other reports speak of 342 travelers. "You've always seen fireballs shoot out of the engine like a motorcycle exhaust," says Andrew Ames, who had watched the incident from the ground. "I've never seen anything like that before it just stopped, and then the pilot has already initiated the maneuver to turn back."
Neither Boeing nor General Electric, the manufacturer of the GE90 engine, wanted to comment on the possible causes of the remarkable defect so far. Overall, the aircraft was about 45 minutes in the air, according to the air security.
Boeing is currently under considerable pressure due to safety issues with its 737 Max machines. After several crashes the jets are occupied with a worldwide flight ban. The manufacturer has since been trying to find technical solutions to the problems.
