An Air New Zealand ATR 72 aircraft experienced an engine fire during its landing at Wellington Airport on September 1st, 2024.
Air New Zealand has confirmed that the affected flight was NZ5366, operating from Christchurch to Wellington.
The incident occurred around 4:00 PM local time as the flight was approaching the runway on short finals. Following a normal arrival, flight NZ5366, operated by an ATR 72 had been cleared to land on RWY34.
Air New Zealand NZ5366 Wellington Incident
Witnesses described seeing smoke billowing from the left-hand engine just before the aircraft touched down. Emergency services were immediately dispatched to attending the aircraft.
All passengers and crew were safely evacuated from the aircraft, and there were no reported injuries during the landing incident. A spokesperson for Fire and Emergency New Zealand confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an engine fire just prior to landing.
Reports suggest that the cause of the fire may have been attributed to an oil system leak on the left-hand engine. The airline is currently investigating to confirm the cause of the engine fire and the potential impact on flight operations.
Wellington Airport was temporarily closed the runway to allow for a thorough investigation and runway clean up. Passengers whose flights have been affected are being accommodated and provided with updates.
The aircraft conducting the NZ5366 domestic service from Christchurch International Airport was an ATR 72, registered ZK-MVL. This is an 8.3 year old regional twin turboprop aircraft belonging to the national carrier Air New Zealand.
It has been in operational service with the airline since its initial delivery from the factory in May 2016.
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