A Qantas flight to Sydney was forced to divert to Christchurch shortly after takeoff from Queenstown, after witnesses on the ground reported seeing bursts of flame coming from one engine.<\/p>\n
Flight QF122 had left Queenstown on Saturday afternoon when what appeared to be an engine problem unfolded in the air, with video from the ground showing intermittent flashes from the aircraft\u2019s left engine along with loud bangs. <\/p>\n
The plane later landed in Christchurch, where local reports indicated emergency crews were on standby when the aircraft arrived, but passengers were able to disembark without incident.<\/p>\n
A Qantas spokesperson said the flight experienced a \u201csuspected engine issue\u201d after take off. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur pilots are highly trained to manage situations like this and the aircraft landed safely,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know this would have been a distressing experience for passengers and will be contacting all customers to provide support.\u201d<\/p>\n
The airline said it would provide accommodation to the passengers and reaccommodate them on other flights.<\/p>\n
For people on the ground, the incident was impossible to miss.<\/p>\n
Mark Venning told Stuff he was driving along Frankton Rd when he heard what he described as sharp popping noises, \u201clike loud gunshots\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooked up and saw orange flames being ejected from the left engine,\u201d Mr Venning said.<\/p>\n
Brothers Daniel and Campbell Longmire also watched the dramatic moments unfold from Frankton, where they were at home when the plane climbed out after takeoff.<\/p>\n
\u201cIts left engine start spitting out flames and then I got everyone to go look because I thought it was a one-off thing,\u201d Campbell told Stuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then it was flying over and it did like maybe six or seven flame bursts and loud bangs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel said the noise carried across the area, drawing startled neighbours outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really loud, it really echoed around the valley,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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