Commercial flights from Moscow (Russia) to Phuket (Thailand) on the night of December 3 were forced to return to the starting point after the crew discovered signs of fire in one of the engines.
The incident occurred just minutes after the Boeing 777 took off from Domodedovo Airport, leaving the emergency response force immediately in a state of high alert.
According to a source from Russia's emergency response agency, the plane landed safely and no one was injured. The Russian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed on Telegram that the Red Wings plane was carrying 425 people, including 13 crew members and 412 passengers.
The flight departs at 9:19 p.m. ( Moscow time). Just a few minutes later, the pilot received a notice saying that the warning system showed the engine on fire. The automated fire fighting system on the plane was activated, helping to extinguish the fire before it became more serious.
At 532 p.m., the Boeing 777 landed safely on the Domodedovo runway in the preparation of rescue forces and airport firefighters. The plane landed safely, no one was injured, the source told TASS news agency.
In a statement posted later, the representative of the Russian Civil Aviation Authority emphasized that the entire emergency response process was carried out in accordance with standards, ensuring absolute safety for passengers during the take-off and landing routes.
Red Wings and Russian airlines are currently conducting technical tests to determine the cause of the engine fire. According to initial assessments, the incident may be related to technical failure during the phase when the engine system reaches maximum capacity at takeoff.
The incident comes as the Russian aviation industry has to strengthen maintenance and technical supervision due to limited supply of replacement components. Experts say the investigation will be conducted urgently to ensure that the remaining fleets do not face similar risks.
Passengers planning to connect to Phuket are being arranged for support and changed their route. Although the incident created a tense situation in the cockpit in the first minutes, the safe landing result helped avoid an accident that could have serious consequences.
