Passengers on a Jetstar A320 on the ground in Newcastle were forced to evacuate the aircraft after an engine fire on October 27.
The flight had already landed after arriving from Brisbane, and the pilots were understood to be shutting down the aircraft’s number one engine when it briefly caught fire. “We believe that there was some residual fuel in the vicinity of the where the fire occurred. It is unusual…obviously that shouldn’t occur,” Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway told Fairfax newspapers.
The fire caused the 173 passengers on board to be evacuated using the stairs which had already been positioned for deplaning, while passengers on the outgoing flight to Brisbane were given overnight accommodation in Newcastle as the aircraft was inspected. Westaway confirmed that following an internal investigation, the airline decided to undertake an engine change on the aircraft.
