On Tuesday 17 March at 11.50am Mildura Fire Brigade was called out to Jetstar flight JQ660 that had to make an emergency landing at Mildura Airport at 12.30pm.
Crew on board the plane had to declare an emergency when a smoke alarm warning displayed in the cockpit.
Merbein Fire Brigade, Irymple Fire Brigade and Red Cliffs Fire Brigade, Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria and SES Mildura Unit were also on scene to support. The plane landed at Mildura Airport after diverting from its journey from Sydney to Uluru.
The Airbus A320 aircraft landed safety, all staff and 102 passengers disembarked before fire crews investigated. CFA crews worked closely with the aircraft captain and airport staff to safely work in and around the aircraft.
No fire was found and the scene was deemed safe at 1.20pm.
Senior station officer (SSO) Shane Bailey attended the incident.
“Communication with the aircraft captain prior to landing assisted in better understanding the situation and allowed for planning,” Shane said. “The incident had many possible outcomes and the responding crews were prepared for the dynamic situation.”
Mildura Airport CEO Trevor Willcock spoke in an interview with Mildura Weekly.
“The emergency services were here very quickly - within 15 minutes of the alert being raised from the airport - they were organised, and carried out their roles extremely well and deserve to be commended”
Great work done by all