Flames Spotted Coming From Passenger Jet's Engine Mid-Flight

According to The Independent, an Air India Express pilot spotted flames coming from the engine while the aircraft was 1,000ft above sea level flying from Abu Dhabi, UAE, to Calicut, India. The pilot chose to return to Abu Dhabi.

The incident occurred Friday, February 3 onboard Air India Express flight IX348 soon after take-off on. The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 184 passengers at the time. It landed safely and no injuries were reported.

Air India Express dismissed the incident as a “technical snag,” saying in a statement to the press, “Air India Express flight IX 348, on the Abu Dhabi-Kozhikode route, returned to Abu Dhabi airport following a technical snag in one of the engines. The technical snag was identified while taking off and the aircraft landed back safely, following all laid down procedures, in Abu Dhabi International Airport with the 184 passengers on board.”

The statement continued, “This event has been reported to the regulatory authorities as per protocol, and alternate arrangements are being made for the guests. We regret the inconvenience caused to our guests on board.”

India’s airline regulatory body, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation says it will investigate the incident, noting in a statement circulated online, the DGCA: “Today an Air India Express B737-800 aircraft VT-AYC operating flight IX 348 (Abu Dhabi-Calicut) was involved in a turnback due to the no.1 engine flameout at 1,000ft during the climb.”

An Air India Express spokesperson explained to The Independent, “An engine flameout means the run-down of an engine due to flame extinction in its combustor due to factors such as low ambient temperatures.”