As flames rose, some Singapore Airlines passengers screamed 'Let us out!'

SINGAPORE — About two hours into an early Monday (June 27) morning flight from Singapore to Milan, Italy, the pilot of Singapore Airlines flight 368 announced over the public address system that the plane would have to turn back. An engine oil warning message had been triggered, and the aircraft was returning to Changi Airport for safety reasons.

“I could feel the vibrations,” recalled passenger Amit Jain, 44, who was seated at the business-class section near the right engine that would eventually catch fire hours later. “There was a very strange sound, sort of like a slight screeching noise coming from the plane.”

Another passenger on SQ368, Ms Lee Bee Yee, told TODAY that she and her husband noticed a faint fuel-like smell in the economy cabin where they were seated.

But at that time, no one was particularly concerned about the announcement, recalled Mr Jain, the director of IT and enterprise resource planning at a multinational company. “Half of the passengers were sleeping,” he added.

Mr Jain was awake as the plane landed back at Changi airport at about 6.50am, more than four hours after it took off at about 2.25am. He had a good view of the Boeing 777-300ER’s right engine and did not notice anything unusual when the plane came to a halt.

Then he caught sight of a convoy of fire engines racing towards the aircraft. That was when he realised that SQ368’s right engine was on fire. “I saw the flames getting worse and worse. By the time the fire engines reached the plane, the flames were about a meter high. I could see the wing turn black from the heat,” Mr Jain recounted.

“When we could see the flames rising, some people were trying to remove their bags from the overhead compartments, which was crazy,” he told TODAY. “I heard a few people scream ‘Open the doors!’ and ‘Let us out!’ and they were standing in the aisle. I had to tell a lady, ‘if I had to run out I’m going to have to kick your bag out of the way’.”

Still, the pilot and crew managed to calm things down, repeatedly reminding passengers to stay in their seats while airport emergency services tackled the fire, passengers said.

A statement from Singapore Airlines said the fire was put out in minutes by the Airport Emergency Service team. “All passengers and crew on board disembarked safely. No injuries were reported,” the statement added. “The affected aircraft has been towed away and the clean-up of Runway 2 is underway.”

Ms Lee, the owner of an e-commerce luxury bags company, posted dramatic footage and photos of the aircraft’s right engine and wing engulfed in flames. She wrote on Facebook: “We were so close to death! I thank God I am alive! I going home to hug my kids.”

Mr Jain said at one point he could feel a bit of the intense heat from the flames outside the plane. The passengers were not allowed to leave as firefighters sprayed water and foam to douse the flames.

“The foam was close to waist-deep for the firefighters,” he recalled. “The pilot came on the public address system a couple of times to tell passengers to stay calm and that fire was being put out.”

Added Ms Lee, who postponed her trip and headed home with her husband after their ordeal: “We are very grateful to the air crew and the firefighters. Everyone did a good job.”

A rescheduled flight with a new crew took off for Milan after 10am on Monday. It was unclear how many passengers pressed on with their trip. Singapore Airlines said it had offered passengers the option to defer or reschedule their travel.

Mr Jain was one of many passengers who pressed on with his trip to Milan. Those who boarded the new flight with him did not seem too rattled.

He told TODAY before boarding his rescheduled flight: “Most of the passengers are in the lounge right now. Snacks being served. People don’t look distressed, at least to me. It’s mostly calm.”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote on Facebook that he was relieved all the people onboard were safely disembarked. “Thanks to SQ and Changi Airport for the swift response. SQ and CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore) are investigating the cause, and will get to the bottom of the matter,” said Mr Lee.

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan also wrote on Facebook that he was relieved to learn of the safe emergency landing. “Incident is being investigated, as to the cause and whether any of our procedures can be improved further,” he said.