Flames and popping sounds: Experts explain Qantas engine incident

Qantas flight QF122, a Boeing 737, suffered a suspected engine issue shortly after taking off from Queenstown in New Zealand on Saturday. The plane was climbing above the scenic South Island's mountain ranges, bound for Sydney, when a bang shook the cabin and flames appeared to issue from the left engine in a series of rapid bursts.

According to passenger Liza-Jayne Loch, who was seated near the left wing, a passenger shouted "the engine's on fire" as cabin lights began to flicker. Loch recalled that there was "a lot of screaming" and she tried to comfort herself by recalling that modern jets could land safely on a single engine.

The flight made a priority landing at Christchurch, touching down about 52 minutes after takeoff, shortly before 5pm local time. Former Qantas captain David Evans said that video footage showed "flames and 'popping' sounds" indicating disrupted airflow through the jet engine.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, ABC News AU, Guardian Business, The Guardian Australia — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.