December 5, 2024
Malaysia Airlines A330 Returns to Kuala Lumpur With Transponder and Hydraulic Problems

Malaysia Airlines A330 Returns to Kuala Lumpur With Transponder and Hydraulic Problems

A Malaysia Airlines A330-300 bound for Seoul made a precautionary return to Kuala Lumpur with transponder and hydraulic systems issues on 2 September.
A Malaysia Airlines A330 takes off.
Masahiro TAKAGI from Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-300 operating the service from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul, South Korea was forced to make a return to the origin airport after experiencing two separate technical issues on 1 September 2024.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH66, an Airbus A330-300, was originally bound for Seoul Incheon International Airport. The aircraft had made a departure from RWY14R Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Malaysia Airlines MH66 Kuala Lumpur-Seoul


Flight track of Malaysia Airlines MH66 to Seoul, showing return to Kuala Lumpur.

During the climb after takeoff, the transponder reading from the aircraft read erroneously. The SSR readout was showing an altitude read out of 0 feet.

The flight crew elected to make a precautionary return to Kuala Lumpur and terminated the climb procedure. The aircraft was then placed in a holding procedure to allow for the dumping of fuel to reduce the landing weight.

Flight track of Malaysia Airlines MH66 to Seoul, showing return to Kuala Lumpur.

During the subsequent holding procedure, the flight crew reported a second technical issue with the aircraft’s hydraulic system, according to a report by the online source Aviation Herald. The holding and fuel burn off procedure continued before a return approach and landing was made.

The aircraft subsequently landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport just under 1.5 hours after its initial departure.

A replacement aircraft was mustered by the airline to carry out the scheduled service to Seoul.

Flight Details


Flight data shows that the flight MH66 made an on-time departure out of Kuala Lumpur at 2345 local time on 2 September. The aircraft entered a holding procedure to the north east of the airport before making its return approach to RWY14L.

Masahiro TAKAGI from Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The aircraft operating the MH66 service to Incheon International Airport was an Airbus A330-300, registered 9M-MTB. This is a 13.4-year-old wide-body aircraft belonging to the national carrier Malaysia Airlines. It has been in operational service with the airline since its initial delivery from the factory in May 2011.

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