A test jet belonging to Pratt & Whitney had to make an emergency landing in Montreal, due to engine fire.
The Boeing 747, with four regular engines and one test engine, took off from Mirabel Airport, located around 50 kilometers north of Montreal. Shortly after the take off, the flight crew noticed the fire and requested emergency landing.
The plane made an uneventful emergency landing at about 11:16 am on April 29 and all 14 people onboard were evacuated safely.
According to a spokesperson for Aéroports de Montréal, François Asselin “The 747 took off with a test engine aboard at about 10:35 a.m. this morning, and there was the beginning of a fire on takeoff. The fire was put out quickly and the plane landed at 11:16 a.m. without (further) incident.” He further said “We were told there was a problem with the engine, so we deployed the appropriate (safety) measures.”
However, the spokesperson of Pratt & Whitney Canada, Nancy German said there is no evidence which shows that the test jet landed due a engine fire. According to her, “the control tower saw something abnormal. I can’t say what….They advised the pilots that according to them, there was something abnormal and the pilots decided to return to base…..But there was no fire or any emergency procedures. No emergency was declared”.
Lufthansa flight LH-511D had to divert for an unscheduled landing at Milan–Malpensa Airport, Italy, on March 18th.
Aer Lingus flight EI-451 had to return and make an emergency landing at Naples International Airport, Italy, on May 3rd.
Qatar Airways flight QR-307 had to return and make an emergency landing in Doha, Qatar, on October 21st.