Cathay Dragon plane returns to Kaohsiung with engine belching smoke

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) A Cathay Dragon flight bound for Hong Kong with 317 passengers and crew onboard was forced to return to Kaohsiung on Monday after one of its engines started emitting smoke due to stalled fan blades, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said.

Kaohsiung International Airport confirmed that Cathay Dragon Flight 451, which departed at 8:02 a.m., returned and made an emergency landing at 8:31 a.m. with smoke billowing from one of its engines on the right side.

The Airbus 330 landed safely and there were no reports of injuries among the 317 people onboard, the airport said.

The plane was 10 minutes into the flight from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong when the flight crew realized that one of the engines was emitting smoke, and they turned around, dumping fuel over the Taiwan Strait, the airport said, adding that emergency crews had gathered and were on standby when the plane landed.

According to CAA Standards division Director Clark Lin (林俊良), the problem occurred after the fan blades on one of the turboprop engines stalled.

Alternative flight arrangements were being made for the passengers, Cathay Dragon said, issuing an apology.