PAL plane forced to return to LA airport due to ‘technical problem’

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine Airlines (PAL) plane was forced to return back to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Friday (Philippine time) after experiencing a “technical problem” shortly after take-off.

“We confirm that our Philippine Airlines Flight PR113 , departing from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) approximately 11:12 a.m. local time for a flight to Manila, landed safely at LAX after experiencing a technical problem in one of its engines shortly after take-off,” PAL said in a statement.

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said the aircraft’s engine 2 started experiencing problems two minutes after takeoff.

“Nagtake off ito ng 11:45 a.m. local time, Los Angeles, which is 3:45 a.m. Manila time and two minutes after that, nagkaroon po ng problema yung engine number two and nagkaroon po ng emission of flames, ng smoke, and nag-declare po ng emergency landing yung aming piloto, si Captain Tristan Simeon,” Villaluna said in an interview with Radyo INQUIRER.

(Tha plane took off at 11:45 a.m. local time, Los Angeles, which is 3:45 a.m. Manila time and two minutes after that, engine 2 experienced a problem which resulted in the emission of flames and smoke. Our pilot, Captain Tristan Simeon then declared an emergency landing.)

The incident is now under investigation, she added.

PAL said there were no reported injuries and assured that all 347 passengers and 18 crew members were safe.

“All 347 passengers and 18 crew members are safe and were able to disembark from the airplane using regular airstairs. Our operation teams are assisting passengers and will provide medical support as needed, although there is no reports of injuries,” it said.

“The flight involved a Boeing 777 aircraft with registry number RP-C7775… We affirm that safety is our top priority and that Philippine Airlines is fully cooperating with the concerned airport and aviation authorities,” it added.

Edited by MUF