Passenger terror as Qantas flight drops mid-air

A QANTAS plane enroute to Perth was forced into an emergency landing in Newman after engine problems today.

Passengers reported hearing a loud bang after an engine stalled on the flight from Newman to Perth about five minutes into the journey.

The plane was carrying 75 passengers and five crew members.

A Qantas spokesperson said the plane was turned back because of an “adverse engine indicator for the aircraft’s right engine”.

One passenger told Nine News he was sitting at the back of the plane and heard a “bang” noise about five minutes into the flight.

“They didn’t tell us [for] ages, they said we’ll turn it back for … an emergency landing,” he said.

Another passenger flying to Perth for a holiday also said she heard a loud bang.
“The plane went like dead silent for about three minutes, and we hadn’t been told anything,” she said.

“We were just sitting there and then the lights down the middle started going on and off.

“We were just left there not knowing what was happening.”

A Perth man on the plane said the plane “dropped” mid-air after the loud noise.

He said they eventually got to Perth three hours after returning to Newman.

Passenger Jeff Worthington told Nine News the scariest part of the flight was the landing.

“It hit the ground that hard, and then it was just all over the runway,” he said.