A plane made an emergency landing on Tuesday night at the Guadalajara Airport. The aircraft reported an explosion in one of the turbines. minutes after takeoff. Flight 518 of Viva Aerobús was destined for Los Angeles.
People on the ground reported that they heard the explosion of the turbine that created a mechanical failure of the plane, which took off after 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
“I just saw a plane in the sky from which sparks were coming out and suddenly a loud noise like an explosion here in Guadalajara, I saw how it was returning towards the airport, I hope they have been able to arrive and are all safe,” Twitter user @IldeSalher at 10:28 p.m.
The airline specified that the failure occurred in engine number two, which caused ” the output of sparks by the friction of metals”.
In a statement, Viva Aerobus said that “yesterday at 10:03 p.m., one of our aircraft with registration XA-VAJ took off, covering flight VB518 on the Guadalajara-Los Angeles route.”
“In accordance with established security protocols, the Viva Aerobus crew returned to Guadalajara International Airport, making a successful landing at 10:45 p.m., confirming the safety of all passengers on board and all crew members.”.
They stated that control of the aircraft was maintained at all times in accordance with the procedures established by the manufacturer, which are designed to continue safe operation under these conditions.
Kimberly, a passenger, said in an interview for Notisistema that when the explosion was heard on the plane, they were alarmed on board.
“We hadn’t been flying for more than 15 minutes and there was a really loud noise and I immediately took my headphones off. Everyone on the plane freaked out.”
She said that her brother, who was in the window seat, noticed that something exploded in the turbine.
“We were crying, panicked, even screaming.”
“We thought we were going to die because the plane felt like it was going to fall and that’s when we pressed the emergency button.”
She pointed out that after a few minutes they were told from the cabin that they were going to return to the airport to make an emergency landing.
A passenger mentioned that the security protocols on the plane were not activated by the crew, but Viva Aerobus stated that “timely and professional attention was provided to passengers who required it”.
This story was updated with information from Viva Aerobus after their statement was released.
