A Kenya Airways Boeing 737-700 (MSN 32371 | 5Y-KQG) operating flight KQ320 bound for Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday 1 January 2013, was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after take off from Khartoum International Airport, Sudan, following an engine failure. No casualties have been reported. |
| Kenya Airways in Khartoum (flyingway) |
Reports state that the aircraft had left Khartoum with 56 passengers and 7 crew aboard, but returned to the Sudanese capital after 20 minutes in the air, for a safe landing at 21h36L.
"An engine caught fire and the plane suddenly lost much altitude. The pilot made a sharp turn and returned to Khartoum," said Souhair Mohamed Hawala, an Egyptian passenger. "There was panic on board. People were crying or praying."
Source [Reuters]
News reports state that the fire appears to
have been extinguished using the available fire suppression system in
the engine with "a team of engineers from Kenya Airways’ Nairobi base maintenance base are now reportedly being dispatched to assess the damage and initiate repairs to return the aircraft to Nairobi."
A Kenyan Airways official said the plane had
returned with an unspecified "engine problem" and needed to be repaired
in Sudan. Passengers are to be booked onto the airline's next available flight out of Sudan.
