Wellington, June 24: A New Zealand Air Force plane with 40 troops and crew on board was forced to make an emergency landing on a South Pacific island after one of its engines burst into flames, officials said today. A broken fuel line set alight one of the four engines on the C130 Hercules transport during a flight yesterday, threatening the lives of 33 Army engineers and seven crew on board, said Squadron Leader Ric Cullinane.
The plane, which was flying from the Solomon Islands to New Zealand, made a steep dive to put out the fire by starving it of oxygen before landing in New Caledonia after the engine was closed down by the flight crew, he said. The plane was about three hours out from the Solomon Islands flying at 8,230 metres when crew saw the fluid leaking from an engine.
"Any fire in an engine in the middle of the ocean is pretty serious," Cullinane said.
The transport landed safely on three engines in Tontouta, New Caledonia, with the passengers and crew safe. The plane would remain there for "several days" for repairs, Cullinane said.
An Air Force team will investigate the cause of the leak and fire and look at putting in a new engine so that the Hercules can be flown back to New Zealand, said Squadron Commander Tony Davies. Bureau Report