Engine trouble and a blown tire forced an Air Canada Boeing 767 bound for Toronto to make an emergency landing in Madrid, Spain.
The passenger jet carrying 128 passengers and crew members experienced a ruptured tire on takeoff and “an engine issue” shortly after departing Adolfo Suarez-Barajas international airport, Air Canada said in an e-mail.
Flight AC837 circled the region southeast of the airport for four hours to burn fuel and lighten the aircraft, then made a safe landing on Monday evening, local time. No injuries were reported, and the plane taxied to the gate under its own power, Air Canada said.
“The aircraft, a Boeing 767-300, is designed to operate on one engine and our pilots are fully trained for this eventuality. Nonetheless, an emergency was declared in order to obtain landing priority. The cause of the problems is not yet known”, - the airline said.
Video of the landing shows emergency vehicles converging on the runway. Passengers on board the flight broke into applause when it touched down safely, according to a video apparently shot by a passenger.