Air safety authorities have commended the crew of a Qantas flight for their response to an engine failure that occurred during take-off from Sydney in November 2024. The incident involved flight QF520, which was en route to Brisbane with 181 people on board.
The crew heard a bang and felt a shudder as the aircraft's right engine failed just after departure. According to the Air Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report released on Wednesday, April 29, the crew recognised the failure immediately but continued the take-off as the aircraft had exceeded the speed at which an abort is safe.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said: 'This engine failure occurred at the worst possible moment during a critical phase of flight. The flight crew responded quickly and decisively, continuing the take-off, declaring an emergency, and conducting relevant checklists while planning a return to Sydney.'
Passenger Mark Willacy described hearing a bang and feeling a jolt as the wheels left the ground. He said the plane laboured before banking and looping over Sydney for about 15 minutes, eventually landing safely on one engine. 'When we landed, there was a lot of applause and cheering among the passengers,' he added.
The engine failure was caused by a fatigue crack in a high-pressure turbine blade. The engine was scheduled for replacement less than two weeks later, as it was nearing the manufacturer's recommended threshold. CFM International, the engine manufacturer, reviewed its CFM56-7B fleet after the incident and noted that while there had been previous failures due to such cracking, the specific configuration on the QF520 engine still met reliability targets and regulatory guidelines.
