Macau’s Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) said last night that it had received written notification from AeroStan Airlines yesterday afternoon about the engine fire that affected its Boeing 747-200F cargo aircraft flight No. BSC4053 and caused the plane to turn back to Macau shortly after leaving on Wednesday (as reported by The Macau Post Daily yesterday).
The flight was bound for Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
The statement noted that at 1:16 p.m. on Wednesday, shortly after the ascent of the cargo aircraft from Macau International Airport, a cockpit instrument indicated that the No. 2 engine was on fire. The captain followed the operational procedures to shut down the plane’s No. 2 engine and dumped fuel in the air to bring the aircraft to a safe landing weight, while sending an emergency signal to the local airport’s flight control tower requesting permission to return. The statement added that the airport fire brigade was on standby at the scene and quickly extinguished the fire in the engine after the aircraft landed safely on the airport runway.
According to the statement, the AACM also received a technical assessment from the airline completed in accordance with the operations manual, which also noted that safety measures had been taken for the No. 2 engine blades, and confirmed that the aircraft could fly normally on three engines.
At the same time, the statement noted, the State Civil Aviation Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan also sent a written notice to the AACM, allowing the cargo aircraft to return to the city empty.
After assessing that the situation could ensure the safe flight of the aircraft, and considering the current COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures in Macau, which make it difficult for foreign airlines to send technicians and imported parts for maintenance in Macau at short notice, the AACM said in its statement last night that it had approved the airline’s aircraft to leave the city’s airport yesterday evening, so that it could depart for maintenance as soon as possible.
AeroStan Airlines logo downloaded from the Kyrgyz company’s Facebook page last night.
