On the morning of June 27, Singapore Airlines flight 368 made an emergency landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport, with its right wing bursting into flames after touching down. The plane had been en route to Milan when it was forced to turn around due an engine oil problem, according the Straits Times.
Jeremy Leung, a 16-year-old from Hong Kong (and former Coconuts HK intern), was sitting in seat 46G. He recounts his terrifying experience:
I had begun to fall asleep on the late flight when I picked up the strong scent of jet fuel inside the cabin. However, I ignored it as it was not particularly pungent and did not irritate me.
Approximately an hour and a half after I first smelled the scent, I woke up to an announcement from the pilot, who said the “fumes” had begun to clear, that the crew had contacted Malaysian and Thai aviation authorities, and that the plane may return to Singapore.
Since I had been asleep, I had no idea why we may turn back, and didn’t think too much about it. About another half an hour later, the captain made a second announcement, confirming that the air inside the cabin was now clear, but that the damage to the right engine had caused a fuel leak, meaning a return to Singapore was now mandatory.
In the middle of preparing for landing, the captain reassured the passengers that ‘everything is under control’ and that the plane would be parked at an ‘outer gateway close to Terminal 2’, where the passengers would get off.
The glow of the flames could be seen from the other side of the plane. Photo: Jeremy Leung
I would say that the plane landed rather softly. However, seconds after landing, I heard a bump. At first, I thought it was the sound of the aircraft’s wheels coming into contact with the ground. I soon heard gasps from passengers sitting on the right side of the plane and saw bright orange flames outside the windows.
Shortly after the fire started, the aircraft came to a halt and passengers began to panic. Some passengers opened the luggage compartment to retrieve their baggage and demanded an immediate evacuation. I would say it took at least five minutes before firefighters managed to put out the fire. Once the aircraft was covered in white foam, passengers began to calm down and returned to their seats.
After the fire was put out, the captain informed us that the Fire Department and Air Traffic Control were telling him to not allow passengers to disembark the aircraft directly onto the runway. However, after a few minutes, we were told that one door at the front of the plane had been opened and that passengers would be disembarked in order of First, Business, then Economy class.
A photo taken by Jeremy Leung as he was evacuated from the plane along with his fellow passengers.
Eventually, all 222 passengers were taken by buses to Terminal 3 to await a new flight at gate A12.
