Fresh details have been revealed about the dramatic Rex flight that had to be abandoned at Adelaide Airport after the aircraft’s engine went up in flames on takeoff to Broken Hill.
An interim report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on the October 8, 2025 incident, reveals the Saab 340B suffered a left engine failure during takeoff and the crew was forced to abort the flight before the plane became airborne.
The Regional Express flight had two pilots, a cabin crew member and 23 passengers on board when it began its takeoff.
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the aircraft’s left engine failed during the takeoff run.
“As the aircraft was below the V1 decision speed the pilots rejected the takeoff and the aircraft came to a stop on the runway,” he said.
After carrying out the engine failure checklist, the crew taxied the aircraft off the runway at the request of air traffic control.
The report states Adelaide Airport operations continued while the Saab was on the taxiway, with a Boeing 777 cleared to land and another aircraft cleared for takeoff.
At the same time, air traffic control noticed steam or smoke coming from the aircraft’s left engine and asked airport fire fighting crews to attend.
An airport worker also reported oil spilling from the left engine, prompting a runway inspection that found a small patch of oil.
Once fire crews told the captain the leaking fluid was oil, passengers were evacuated normally through the front left door.
Passengers were then taken by bus back to the terminal. No one was injured.
The frightening incident was captured by passengers, with video showing flames billowing from the engine as the aircraft slowed heavily on the runway.
In the immediate aftermath, Rex said the crew had received a cockpit indication linked to the left engine during takeoff, forcing them to reject the departure.
The airline said a small amount of unburnt fuel briefly ignited in the left-hand engine’s exhaust after the shutdown.
Passengers described a terrifying experience, saying the plane was only seconds from lift-off when it braked sharply and a fireball appeared from the left side.
Sandy Holmes, who was travelling with fiance Warwick Beverley after he had undergone emergency brain surgery in Adelaide, said: “I’m glad it wasn’t in the air.”
Another passenger, Dave Healey, said it was “like a ball of fire” coming from the engine as the aircraft came to a sudden halt.
The ATSB’s interim report does not make findings, but says the engine was sent to the UK for a teardown inspection, which confirmed the main damage was in the power turbine module.
Those damaged components have now been sent to engine manufacturer GE Aerospace in the US for metallurgical examination.
Mr Mitchell said investigators were also examining flight crew actions, air traffic control and airport procedures.
The investigation’s final report, detailing findings and analysis, will then be drafted once that analysis is complete.