China Eastern Airbus A330 rattles violently after engine failure mid-air: video

Airbus A330 300 China Eastern
Triple Tree / Creative Commons

A China Eastern flight was forced to make an emergency landing after its engine suffered damage midflight.  

Footage reportedly taken on board the China Eastern Airbus A330-300 showed the aircraft rattling uncontrollably as the Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) bound flight was forced to divert to Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN). 

Flight MU721 left HKG December 3, 2023, shortly after 8:30 am local time and was due to land at its destination around six hours later. 

Passengers reportedly heard a loud bang and subsequent photos shared on social media showed one of the plane’s Rolls Royce engines with two badly damaged blades. 

A second photo showed another part of the aircraft’s exterior with a small tear where presumably one of the blades struck.  

It is understood that the Airbus A330 suffered engine failure, which in turn caused the aircraft to shake violently. 

A passenger aboard the flight filmed from inside the aircraft and showed the cabin rattling uncontrollably as passengers held onto the seats in front of them.  

The Airbus, registered B-8970, is a seven-year-old plane. No injuries to passengers or crew have so far been reported. 

The passengers were subsequently placed on another flight that landed in Xiamen later that day. 

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