Qantas engine failure at 30,000 feet: NZ nurse worked out survival plan

Maggie Pike, a NZ nurse who was on board Qantas flight QF144 which suffered engine failure. Photo / Supplied

A New Zealand nurse aboard the Qantas plane that suffered engine failure mid-Tasman last week felt a surge of fear when she heard the bang.

Maggie Pike said she was well aware something was very wrong after hearing the bang and feeling the plane swoop from side to side before it stabilised.

An experienced flier, the 25-year-old said she felt some fear after hearing the noise, which was not much louder than the usual hydraulic sounds on the Boeing 737-800.

She was sitting in a window seat on the same side as the engine which failed, didn’t have her headphones in and so was conscious of what was going on. When flight attendants gathered and then one of them looked out windows, she picked up on some anxiety but says they remained calm throughout the rest of the flight, which landed safely at Sydney.

“Initially when it first happened and it was like swooping around a little bit, it didn’t feel normal so my initial reaction was a bit of fear,” said Pike, who was en route to a contract nursing job in Western Australia. “It wasn’t like turbulence is, like a very different feeling. Everyone was looking around and thinking what’s going on.”

She said it felt like the plane was braking as it dropped altitude quickly (it descended by more than 3000m), which was enough to pop her ears.

She watched the flight attendants who had gathered at the back of the plane and then they went and talked to passengers in emergency exit rows.

There was no general announcement about what had happened.

“They didn’t say anything, which is good because what can you do?

“I formulated a little plan in my head. I had checked under my seat for my life jacket, and if we crashed I’d counted how many rows to the emergency exit.”

She remained calm and didn’t talk to a passenger next to her who had also noticed the initial bang.

“Once we started to cruise at the lower altitude then I felt it was alright and then I thought, ‘so there’s nothing I can do now’.”

Before the aircraft landed in Sydney, the pilot announced there was a problem with the engine that affected electronics and air conditioning and that was why there would be emergency services on the ground, but said passengers should not be alarmed.

“And then when we did land he announced again that we did have a total engine failure,” said Pike.

Some passengers looked shocked and many were surprised – those with window shades down and with headphones on had not noticed anything untoward about the flight.

She said while she felt reasonably calm, her heart rate told a different story. When she checked it on the ground it was around 180 beats per minute, up from her usual 70bpm at rest.

She was hyper-aware of air safety following the plane crash in Nepal earlier last week which killed 72 people.

“I had some terrible feelings before the flight. I just didn’t want to get on it, which is weird because I’ve flown a lot. Everyone was like, ‘don’t be silly, Qantas is such a safe airline’.’’

Coincidentally, she had also talked to her grandfather a few days before the flight about how twin-engine aircraft can fly safely for hours on one engine.

The demands on the two pilots on QF144 has been cited as a reason why a solo pilot plan isn’t a good idea and she agrees.

“I definitely think having two makes you feel safer, there’s two brains and more hands. Having someone to talk through options with is pretty important.”

She had no qualms about flying and was on a Virgin Australia connecting flight to Perth about an hour after landing in Sydney. She was happy to fly again with Qantas, whose crew had handled the situation well.