FIFO plane forced to make emergency landing
A FIFO charter plane carrying 87 people was forced to conduct an emergency landing at Solomon airstrip, 50km north of Tom Price in the Pilbara this morning.
A DFES spokesman said the Tom Price Fire and Rescue Service, Bush Fire Brigade and St John’s Ambulance were mobilised to the incident, which involved a Jetstar plane chartered by FMG, at 9.04am.
An FMG spokesman said the plane turned back after cabin crew noticed an unusual smell in the rear of the cabin.
“A Jetstar charter flight out of Solomon Airport turned back shortly after take-off this morning," he said.
"The flight landed at the airport without incident. Fortescue’s Emergency Services team were waiting at the site and examined all passengers and crew who were cleared to fly back to Perth on recovery services later in the day.”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau told AAP this afternoon the Jetstar plane was forced to turn back 20 minutes after take-off.
Engineers inspected the aircraft while a scheduled Qantas service, operated by Network Aviation between Cloudbreak and Perth, stopped in Solomon to collect the disrupted passengers.
A second plane will collect the remaining passengers and is scheduled to arrive in Perth on Tuesday evening.
