Engine failure cancels KLM flight
07 January 2008A KLM aircraft was forced to return to its departure airport after an engine failed more than an hour into a flight.
The Boeing 747 plane was on its way to Amsterdam from South Africa's OR Tambo international airport with 419 people on board when the incident occurred, the South African Press Association reports.
Passengers, who fortunately did not have to use their travel insurance to cover any medical costs, were accommodated in hotels and provided with meals and telephones to contact relatives.
Yeshwant Pawar, general manager of Air France KLM, said that checks of the plane had failed to identify the cause of the problem.
"We are pleased that all 419 passengers and 18 crew members were safe as the landing was uneventful," he added.
"Regular check-ups were done on the aircraft before taking off but there were no signs of problems with the engine."
In a similar incident recently, a Flyglobespan flight from Orlando was forced to return to the airport after an engine explosion, with passengers having to wait for two hours as the jet circled above Sanford airport before making an emergency landing.