A Jetstar flight that was on its way to Thailand was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff. Flight JQ27 departed from Sydney airport at approximately 3:20 PM on Wednesday but returned to land back in Sydney around 5 PM. According to a Jetstar spokesperson, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner experienced a mechanical issue which prompted the pilots to request a priority landing. Emergency services were on standby to meet the aircraft upon its return for safety precautions.
Initial reports suggested that the plane’s front tire had exploded during takeoff, but footage captured by 7NEWS revealed engineers attending to the rear tire, which seemed to be worn. The airline later clarified that while one of the ten tires was indeed damaged during takeoff, it did not burst.
Flight tracking data indicated that the plane circled several times near Richmond in northwest Sydney before heading east over the water and landing back at the airport. In order to facilitate the emergency landing, the runway was temporarily closed for half an hour. Images from the 7NEWS chopper showed the plane landing smoothly, and fortunately, all passengers onboard were reported safe.
