REX FLIGHT ZL139 SYDNEY TO MERIMBULA
Regional Express (Rex) flight ZL139 operating from Sydney to Merimbula, 29 August 2019, experienced a cockpit indication associated with the aircraft’s right engine en route to Merimbula.
In accordance with company standard operating procedures, the pilots carried out the prescribed procedures and landed safely and without further incident at Merimbula airport at 8:42pm.
The safety regulator has been notified and given all available information.
Ian Campbell of About Regional reports that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) says closer inspections of a Regional Express plane involved in a single-engine emergency landing last night (August 29) at Merimbula Airport have found no evidence of fire.
“Obviously there was a mechanical fault and engineers will now determine what that was,” Peter Gibson from CASA says.
“This doesn’t happen often but it does happen to airlines big and small, that’s why there are redundancies in place.”
Mr Gibson says reports of a fire in the starboard engine are probably explained by passengers seeing sparks but, “observations this morning don’t show the presence of fire.”
“The pilots obviously did the right thing.”
Regional Express (Rex) is Australia’s largest independent regional airline operating a fleet
of more than 50 Saab 340 aircraft on some 1,500 weekly flights to 60 destinations
throughout all states in Australia. In addition to the regional airline Regional Express, the
Rex Group comprises wholly owned subsidiaries Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical
and charter operator) and the Australian Airline Pilot Academy.
Rex ZL139 safely on the ground. Photo: Fire and Rescue Eden.
