Bangalore-bound Malaysian plane makes emergency landing

A Bangalore-bound Malaysia Airlines plane with 166 people on board turned back shortly after takeoff on Sunday night due to problem in its landing gear.

Flight MH192 landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 1.56am (local time), Malaysia Airlines (MAS) tweeted.

“The aircraft’s right-hand landing gear malfunctioned upon takeoff and was forced to turn back to Kuala Lumpur,” MAS said.

“All 159 passengers and 7 crew members on board are being disembarked from the aircraft.”

The jet, operated on the B737-800 aircraft, departed from Kuala Lumpur at 10.09pm (0721 IST).

Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein earlier said on his Twitter feed that a tyre was reported to have burst on takeoff.

“They have landed safely — thank God,” he tweeted.

The plane was scheduled to arrive in Bangalore at 11.35 pm (local time) the same day.

MAS said the flight had departed at 10.09pm (local time) on Sunday night.

Mr. Hishammuddin is overseeing Malaysia’ response to Flight MH370, that crashed in the Indian Ocean with 239 people aboard on March 8.

A huge international search-and-rescue effort for any physical evidence of the plane’s wreckage, now in its seventh week, had so far proved fruitless.

Pat for pilot

Malaysia’s Transport Minister also praised the pilot of a Bangalore-bound troubled Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane that was forced to make an emergency landing early today at an airport here for his “skillful” handling of the aircraft.

“The passengers, despite being tired, expressed their admiration for the pilot’s skilful handling of the aircraft in making the emergency landing safe (at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport) without any harm to the passengers,” Mr. Hussein said.

Mr. Hussein said he has also asked MAS to prepare a report about the incident and submit it to the ministry.

“Although MAS is under Khazanah Nasional, (the government’s investment arm) we want a comprehensive report by Wednesday.

“This is because there have been many incidents involving MAS, including the disappearance of Flight MH370. The report has to be handed to my ministry and the Cabinet,” he said.

The Minister, who met the passengers soon after the emergency landing, told reporters that they had appreciated the pilot’s handling of the aircraft landing safely.

Also present at the press conference was the pilot, Capt Nor Adam Azmi Abdul Razak, and several of the crew members.