If you’re a passenger on a plane and you hear the pilot announce that the aircraft is going to make an emergency landing, your initial reaction may be to feel a sense of panic.
Questions like, “Is there a serious threat? Is the aeroplane functioning properly?” and many more may race through your mind.
Well, that happened to an RSAF fighter jet that had to make an emergency landing at Changi Airport on Tuesday (14 November 2023).
However, it’s important to realise that the situation is quite different for the personnel on the fighter jet from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) that had to perform an emergency landing.
These personnel are highly trained to handle such situations, which sets them apart from the average traveller like us.
RSAF F-16 Fighter Jet Makes Emergency Landing At Changi Airport
The fighter jet had to make an emergency landing due to a malfunction.
Thankfully, there were no injuries resulting from this incident.
The RSAF shared details of the incident on Facebook, mentioning that the jet safely landed at Changi Airport around 12.10pm despite having a deflated tire upon landing.
According to The Straits Times, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) issued a statement saying that Runway 3 at Changi Airport was temporarily closed due to the incident.
The jet was successfully towed away by approximately 1.20 pm. After thorough checks, the runway was reopened just 10 minutes later, according to CAAS.
However, the incident did impact 74 flights. Passengers on these flights experienced delays averaging less than 30 minutes, and no flights were diverted.
If you’re a passenger patiently waiting for your flight, you’ll likely feel frustrated upon discovering that your flight has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
This incident brings to mind a recent emergency landing that occurred just two months ago involving Air China.
The airline had to request an emergency landing because one of the aircraft’s engines caught fire.
Passengers on the flight had to be evacuated upon landing in Singapore, which led to a three-hour closure of Changi Airport that day.
Videos circulated on social media went viral, capturing footage as passengers used the emergency exit slide while dark smoke continued to billow from the engine that was still on fire.
Fortunately, all 146 passengers and nine crew members safely evacuated after touching down at around 4.15pm local time.
It took about ten minutes to extinguish the fire in the left engine. Unfortunately, nine passengers sustained minor injuries related to smoke inhalation and abrasions during the evacuation process.