Pilots hailed as heroes for emergency landing in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - An Australian captain and co-pilot were Wednesday hailed as heroes for safely landing a Cathay Pacific Airbus after it developed severe engine trouble on a flight to Hong Kong.

Eight people were injured jumping down chutes after the Airbus A330 made an emergency landing at Hong Kong International Airport Tuesday afternoon at the end of a flight from Surabaya, Indonesia.

Colleagues who talked to the pilots said they performed a remarkable feat landing the stricken plane, carrying 322 passengers and crew, after one engine failed and the second malfunctioned.

The plane’s left engine shut down soon after reaching cruising altitude on the flight.

With the plane able to safely fly and land on one engine, they continued to Hong Kong but then faced a potential crisis as the second engine cut out intermittently during their descent to Hong Kong.

For several seconds, they flew with no power in either engine before managing to restart the right engine shortly before touchdown, the pilots told their colleagues.

“It was an amazing piece of piloting in extremely testing circumstances,” the colleague said. “They effectively landed the plane on half an engine.

“The passengers who were on that plane should be praying to whatever God they have that they got down safely.”

The two pilots involved have not been identified.

The Airbus hit the runway far in excess of normal approach speed and blew tyres as it braked hard. The only injuries, however, were among passengers jumping down the emergency chutes to the ground.

An investigation has been launched into the incident and the pilot and co-pilot were both interviewed by the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department.