Shanghai Airlines' flight makes emergency landing in Haikou

By Tom Qian  |   2008-11-20  |     ONLINE EDITION

MECHANICAL failure forced a Shanghai Airlines plane to make an emergency landing at an airport in Haikou City, Hainan Province, late last night, a Website reported today.

No injuries were reported among the more than 100 passengers on board flight FM833, the Eastday.com report said.

The Boeing 737 aircraft departed from Shanghai at 7:40pm and was en route to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, but was forced to land at Meilan International Airport of Haikou.

Mechanics told the Website that their initial check found that one of the plane’s two hydraulic pressure pumps was damaged, causing hydraulic oil to leak. The hydraulic oil atomized at high altitude to cause a large amount of smoke, the report said.

The mechanics added the oil leak would not lead to any burning, but that some parts of the plane would not work properly, according to the report.

A passenger surnamed Xuan told Eastday.com that he was afraid when he saw a lot of smoke coming from the right wing.

“I was sitting near the emergency exit and noticed the dense smoke,” he was quoted as saying. “Flight attendants came to me and said no matter what happened the emergency door couldn’t be opened without authorization.

“I was scared, so scared. When we landed there was an extremely big shock,” he added.

The report said all passengers got off the plane swiftly after landing.

Shanghai Airlines gave each passenger a beverage and a bowl of instant noodles. They will be sent to their destination on another plane this morning, the report said.