‘Loud boom’ on flight: Passengers evacuate Boeing 737 via emergency slides in Japan

An All Nippon Airways (ANA) passenger flight made an emergency landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa after pilots detected severe vibration and unusually high oil temperatures in one of its engines. The incident occurred on September 23, at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan.

The Boeing 737-800, operated by ANA Wings, was carrying 152 passengers and six crew members when the problem developed about 20 minutes after take-off on Wednesday night, according to a report in the Mirror.

The pilots shut down the affected right engine and turned the aircraft back towards Naha.

ANA Flight 1502 departed Naha shortly before 9pm for Saga Airport. About 20 minutes into the flight, cockpit instruments showed unusually high oil temperatures and heavy vibration in the right engine.

The pilots shut down the engine and requested an emergency return to Naha. The aircraft landed safely on a taxiway at around 10pm.

All passengers and crew evacuated the Boeing 737 using emergency slides after landing. Three passengers suffered minor scrapes but did not require ambulance treatment, according to ANA.

There were no reports of fire or smoke. One passenger reportedly said they heard a loud boom during the flight.

Japanese transport authorities have classified the incident as a serious incident and launched an investigation into the cause of the engine malfunction.

Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders. ANA is also investigating.

The original service was scheduled for Fukuoka but had already been delayed. With Fukuoka Airport no longer accepting arrivals after 10pm, ANA had arranged for the passengers to travel to nearby Saga Airport.

Following the emergency return to Naha, affected passengers were accommodated on a flight to Fukuoka the next morning.