Failure of Engine Forces Return to LAX
A Cathay Pacific Airways jet bound for Hong Kong with 332 people aboard was forced to return to Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday when an engine failed after takeoff.
The Boeing 747-400 landed safely at LAX and no one was injured, said J. W. Olver, Cathay Pacific vice president for USA and Latin America.
The engine failure was reported at 1:35 p.m., about 20 minutes after takeoff, when the jet was about 21,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Olver said. The jet returned to LAX operating on three engines.
Olver said that the airline is paying for passengers to stay in Los Angeles-area hotels, and that another flight will depart for Hong Kong this morning.
He said he will remember this Thanksgiving Day. “We are very grateful indeed,” Olver said.
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