MALAYSIA Airlines is under a safety investigation in Australia after an engine malfunction forced Flight MH122 to make an emergency landing in Alice Springs on Thursday.

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman told The Australian that an investigation was necessary because of the size of the aircraft and number of passengers on board.

“With high-capacity, regular public transport aircraft such as an A330, we will always have a look at it in one way or another to determine the appropriate level of investigation required,” the spokesman said.

“We are investigating but this is at a less complex level than other investigations and it will be conducted from our offices in Canberra.”

There were 224 passengers and crew on board flight MH122 from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, which turned back four hours into the journey due to engine trouble that caused severe “shaking” and loud “disturbing noises”. Passengers were left terrified after the pilot told them to “brace for impact” as he attempted and in the end managed a safe landing in Alice Springs.

The spokesman said ATSB had  confirmed that the flight crew relied on the aircraft’s second engine and they “elected to shut the engine down and divert to an alternate airport” in Alice Springs as a precautionary measure at 7.16pm AEST.

ATSB’s “desktop” investigation will rely on images, air reports, flight data records and interviews with flight crew to compile a final report on MH122.

No injuries were reported in the incident, but passengers reported feeling terror and fear, with one Chin Kanani saying the flight was “hell”. 

Chin Kanani told ABC there was a banging sound mid-flight that had alarmed his wife, who was in the toilet.

“She said she was on the loo when she started hearing loud banging noises from the right-hand side of the plane and that’s when all it started,” Kanani said.

“It was like hell this flight and they were told to be ready for an emergency landing.”

The plane had been  flying over the West Australian coast near Broome, when it started to shake violently.

The Airbus A330-300 had departed Sydney Airport on Thursday at 1.06pm and was scheduled to arrive at Kuala Lumpur at 6.30pm the same day when the flight crew detected a “technical fault” in one of the engines.

Mal­aysia Airlines has since apologised, saying it “deeply regrets the anxiety and inconvenience experienced as a result of the diversion”. It offered as a “gesture of apology” a 50%  rebate on their next return flight.  – January 20, 2018.