Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has grounded an Airbus A330-300, which had to make a turn back shortly after take-off from Melbourne airport due to an engine fire alert.
The airline says on Twitter that the aircraft landed uneventfully, and that investigations are ongoing.
“Preliminary inspection on the aircraft reveals no physical evidence of fire externally. Safety is our utmost priority,” it says in a second tweet.
Airservices Australia tells Flightglobal the aircraft made the turn back when a signal came on in the cockpit, alerting of an engine fire. The air navigation services provider adds, however, that it has not be ascertained whether there was indeed a fire.
The aircraft was operating flight MH148 on the Melbourne-Kuala Lumpur route when the incident happened.
MAS could not be contacted for further information.
Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows that the aircraft, registered 9M-MTE according to Flightradar24, is a 2011-built model with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines. The aircraft is owned by MAS.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
