Phuket-Barnaul flight diverts to China after distress signal
The preliminary cause of the distress signal and emergency landing has been identified as an engine failure.
Over Chinese territory on January 23, a distress signal was received from an Azur Air airliner operating a flight from Phuket to Barnaul. The aircraft soon made an emergency landing at Lanzhou airport. Preliminary data indicates that a possible cause of the incident could be the failure of one engine. Further details are in the NGS22.RU report.
What is known about the incident
On January 23, passengers on Azur Air flight ZF-2998 from Phuket to Barnaul endured several hours of tension. At approximately 14:50 Barnaul time, the aircraft, flying over Chinese territory, issued a distress signal, coded 7700. The Boeing 757 liner began descent in the area of the Chinese city of Chengdu.
According to the Flightradar service, before the emergency landing at Lanzhou airport, located near the city center, the aircraft circled for about an hour at an altitude of over four thousand meters. At 15:52 Barnaul time, the liner safely landed in Lanzhou. Over 16,000 users from around the world monitored the flight in the app.
There were 238 passengers on board. No one was injured as a result of the incident.
Cause of the emergency landing of the Phuket-Barnaul flight
The preliminary cause of the distress signal, according to SHOT, was the failure of one engine. Reports indicate a malfunction of the oil pressure sensor and loss of thrust.
Currently, Azur Air is organizing the return of passengers on a reserve aircraft. The West Siberian Transport Prosecutor«s Office, in turn, has launched an investigation into the incident.
