A Qantas plane was forced to make an unexpected landing in Mildura on Tuesday after suffering a technical fault in the air.
The QF2079 flight to Melbourne departed Mildura about 10.40am with 63 people on board.
Media reports say the aircraft “lost hydraulics on its wing flaps” after takeoff, forcing the pilot to take drastic action.
The pilot made several circuits to dump fuel before returning to Mildura for a priority landing at 12pm, News Corp reports.
Qantas said the incident was a “priority” landing — not an emergency landing.
“One of our aircraft had to return to Mildura shortly after takeoff on Tuesday due to a technical issue,” Qantas said.
“Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this, and the flight has since landed safely in Mildura.
“We appreciate this would have been an unsettling experience for customers and thank them for their understanding.”
Flight QF2079 is operated by a Dash 8 Q400 aircraft.
The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power before passengers disembarked.
Qantas engineers will inspect the aircraft before it returns to service.
Victoria Police said the pilots were able to safely land the plane before passengers disembarked.
Police, Ambulance Victoria and Fire Rescue Victoria crews were at the airport as part of the standard procedure for such landings.
“Police, along with other emergency services, were called to an airport in Mildura following reports of an aircraft incident just after 11am, where it appears there was an issue with the aircraft,” Victoria Police said.
“The plane landed safely, the pilot and passengers weren’t injured.”
Clement Noel, told the Herald Sun the plane was “just circling and circling”.
Zac Sutton, who was headed to Melbourne for work, said he noticed the plane was heading in the wrong direction.
“Then it did a few circles before it was announced that we were going to have to come back,” Sutton told the newspaper.
He said there was no panic on board.
It was the second domestic air incident in two days after a sudden fire on board a Virgin Australia flight.
Cabin crew were forced to swiftly contain the fire that broke out in an overhead compartment on VA1528, which was on its way to Hobart from Sydney.
Smoke began to appear in the cabin shortly before landing.
Crews opened an overhead compartment and discovered a fire, using water and a fire extinguisher to bring it under control.
The flight landed safely at Hobart Airport on Monday morning.
Firefighters met the aircraft once it landed and removed a bag from the overhead locker, a Virgin Australia spokesperson said.
“Safety is always our highest priority. We appreciate the swift and professional response of our flight and cabin crew, as well as the support of Airservices Australia firefighters,” the spokesperson said.
The aircraft is being assessed for damage to the overhead locker. A replacement plane made the return flight to Sydney.
Hobart Airport chief operating officer Matt Cocker said all passengers safely disembarked the aircraft. One person was assessed by paramedics for suspected smoke inhalation.
Virgin Australia has not confirmed the cause of the fire.
-with AAP
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