Flight from Australia delayed after engine erupts in flames

Passengers on board a Rex Airlines flight from Adelaide have caught the moment flames and smoke started billowing out of the engine just after takeoff was aborted.

The Saab 340 twin-turboprop was due to depart for Broken Hill shortly after 7 a.m. on Wednesday when a fault indicator signalled a problem with the left engine.

The engine was shut down, but unburnt fuel is understood to have caught fire inside the engine.

Footage taken from inside the aircraft showed flames and smoke coming from the engine.

Passengers were forced to disembark the aircraft on the taxiway and were bused back to the terminal, while the plane was taken back to its bay.

A spokesperson for Adelaide Airport told NewsWire the runway was closed for about 20 minutes.

“Normal operations resumed at 8am,” the spokesperson said.

“Rex is currently working with impacted passengers to rebook their flights.”

No injuries were reported.

Passenger Mark Goodger was on the flight and told his wife Julia the incident was “a bit scary”.

“They had to evacuate on the tarmac,” Julia Goodger told 7News.

“He’s got a refund and so did others. Not flying today.”

In a statement, the budget airline said crew “followed standard operating procedures, rejecting the takeoff and safely vacating the runway”.

“In accordance with standard operating procedures, crew shut down the left engine.

“As a result a small amount of unburnt fuel ignited in the left-hand engine’s exhaust pipe for a brief period.

“All passengers have been re-accommodated on alternate services.”

In a statement, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it would probe the engine failure.

“As reported to the ATSB, during the aircraft’s takeoff roll for a scheduled flight to Broken Hill, the crew observed engine warnings for the left engine and aborted the takeoff. During the aborted takeoff procedure, the engine failed,” the ATSB said.

“The aircraft subsequently vacated the runway and passengers and crew were able to disembark without further incident.

“As part of the investigation ATSB investigators will review recorded flight data, interview the flight crew and other involved parties, and gather aircraft maintenance and other relevant records and documentation.”

Flight tacking data from website Flight Aware showed Flight ZL4818 departed more than three hours late at 10:20 a.m.

It arrived in Broken Hill at 11:16 a.m., and is due to resume operations on Friday.