Passengers hear 'bang' and see 'sparks' when plane engine shuts down mid-flight

All passenger aircraft are designed to fly safely with the loss of an engine

One plane engine was shut down during a Qantas flight, causing commotion among passengers (iStock)

Passengers flying to Sydney described how they heard a “bang” and saw “orange sparks” when a plane engine was shut down mid-flight.

Qantas flight 26, which was flying from Tokyo, had been flying for around five hours when an issue was identified with one of the engines.

The pilot was notified of a problem with one of the Boeing 747-400 engines mid-flight.

He subsequently shut it down.

The aircraft then continued for another two hours with three of its four engines in operation before making an unscheduled landing at Cairns International Airport.

One passenger onboard described the moment the engine malfunctioned.

“I was sitting at the window and there was an incredibly loud bang and when I looked out there was an orange flame and then sparks, it was like white,” Desmon Du Plessis told The Cairns Post.

Debbie Slade, Qantas fleet safety captain, said in a statement: “Our Tokyo to Sydney flight diverted to Cairns due to an issue with one of the engines.

“In line with standard procedures, the pilots shut down the engine and the flight diverted to Cairns.

“While customers may have heard a loud bang, there was never a safety risk with the flight. These aircraft are designed to safely operate on three of the four engines.

“The aircraft had a normal landing and engineers are inspecting the aircraft.”

Passengers were transferred to other aircraft to reach their destination.