Air New Zealand flight diverts after pilots report smoke in the cockpit
Air New Zealand cockpit filled with smoke
An Air New Zealand flight had to be aborted after less than 20 minutes when the pilots reported smoke in the cockpit.
Flight NZ5813 had departed Hamilton Airport en route to Wellington on 2 December when the incident occurred, shortly after take-off.
The aircraft was still on the ascent when the smoke was reported, and the decision was made to turn back to Hamilton rather than continue on the 70-minute journey, reports the Aviation Herald.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows the jet turning back while flying over Pureora Forest Park and landing half an hour after it first departed.
The plane landed without incident and remained grounded for a number of hours, while passengers were transferred onto alternative flights.
The issue does not seem to have been too serious, as the aircraft involved, ZK-MVE, was back in the air the same day, completing three further flights, reports Simple Flying.
The Independent has approached Air New Zealand for comment.
It’s not the first time smoke has affected a flight.
Earlier this year, a Ryanair flight from Otopeni, Romania, to London Stansted was forced to divert just minutes into the journey after thick smoke filled the cabin.
Terrified passengers could be heard screaming and crying in a video of the incident that was shared online.
A woman can be heard crying in panic in the footage, while a man can be seen grappling with an overhead compartment in an apparent attempt to release an oxygen mask.
According to Ryanair, it is believed the smoke may have been caused by de-icing fluid entering the air conditioning system.
And in December 2019, passengers had to evacuate a plane on slides after it was forced to return to its departure airport when the cabin filled with smoke.
Flyers were told to leave the Qantas aircraft on emergency slides when it arrived back in Sydney, Australia.
Qantas said flight 575 due for Perth returned shortly after take-off due to a hydraulic issue.
“Once back at the gate, the captain made the decision to evacuate the aircraft as a precaution and three emergency slides were deployed,” the airline said.
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