An Ethiopian Airlines (ET) Bombardier Q400 operating a domestic flight ET128 from Addis Ababa to Axum, Ethiopia, on Wednesday, July 17, reportedly suffered engine problems on its port side shortly before touchdown at Axum's Emperor Yohannes IV Airport.
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| An Ethiopian Airlines Q400 in Khartoum (SChui) |
According to The Sudan Tribune, the aircraft, which had 78 passengers aboard, was on approach into Axum's runway 16/34 when smoke was reportedly seen eminating from the aircraft's left side engine.
“The smoke sensors in the aircraft indicated a fire alarm one minute before landing” the official who decline to be named said adding, “the left wing of the plane was smoking and one engine was not functioning properly.”
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“We could see smoke coming out of the plane’s wing. Everybody panicked. It was a very scary incident,” said Rigaet Haile-aeb, one of the passengers on board.
The aircraft is said to have made safe, if "rough" landing with all passengers safely disembarking. The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority has reportedly opened a investigation into the incident.
As of this posting, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has yet to respond to a request for a comment.