Plane Lands Safely After Blowing Engine

An Amsterdam-bound KLM 747 with 429 people aboard blew an engine during takeoff Sunday afternoon, causing a burst of flames and metal debris, and forcing the plane to return to Los Angeles International Airport for an emergency landing, authorities said.

No one was hurt.

John Hicks, the supervisor of air field operations on duty at the Los Angeles airport, said the airplane appeared to have sucked a bird into an engine on the right side upon takeoff at 4:35 p.m., causing three pieces of the engine’s cover to blow off.

He said the plane has four engines and could have lost another and still maintained altitude. It circled over the Pacific Ocean for more than an hour to dump fuel before making an emergency landing at 6 p.m., Hicks said.

“A bird hit the first row of blades and it tore him up and blew off the trailing edge of the cowling,” Hicks said. “Those blades became unbalanced and banged into other pieces, and those pieces went into the engine compartment.

“Passengers on the right side of the plane likely saw smoke and flames,” Hicks said, but only for a few seconds.

Airport spokeswoman Gail Gaddi said Hicks’ explanation was unsubstantiated and that an investigation was being undertaken.

“At this time, we don’t have any information to back up his statement,” she said.

Dutch passenger Dennis Ditmeyer said he heard a rattling sound immediately after takeoff that “sounded like there was a bird caught in the engine.”

He said everyone on the plane fell silent, and he was worried.

“It was obvious that something was wrong,” Ditmeyer said. “Then after a while, it was announced that we would be landing again.”

His relief at making it back safely was quickly replaced by annoyance when he was told there would not be another KLM flight to Amsterdam until today.

On the ground, the burst of flames and falling pieces made a big impression on scores of people who were biking and picnicking near Dockweiler State Beach on the sunny day.

Roger Lund of Granada Hills and Mark Mithaiwala of San Francisco said they were biking near the beach when they heard a “giant backfiring sound” and looked up to see a jet directly overhead, spewing 8- to 10-foot flames from its right side.

“I thought it was going to explode,” Mithaiwala said. “I was biking frantically.”

El Segundo resident Charles Paquette and his wife, Sheila, were walking their dogs near the end of the runway when the jet took off. He said one of its engines seemed to backfire three times, shooting out spikes of orange flame.

“On the third one, two huge chunks of metal blew right off the back of the engine. One looked like the hood of a car,” Paquette said. “There was a big blast of orange fire coming out of the back. It was pretty scary. We said, ‘Oh my God.’ ”

Hicks described the occurrence as “very rare.”

The three pieces of the jet’s engine were recovered. One of them, a charred, dented exhaust nozzle about five feet wide, was loaded onto an airport maintenance truck at Dockweiler State Beach.

A group of 30 members of the Glendale Church of Christ were having their annual cookout at the beach when the sound of an explosion drew all eyes to the sky. They looked up to see the jet, spewing flames.

“There were three big bangs and then parts started falling off the engine,” said Jim Settlemoir, 45, a Burbank video editor. “It got everybody’s attention. We were all wondering which way it was going to land.”

Settlemoir said several church members suggested that in light of the incident, they should relocate the annual barbecue.

“I think next year, we’ll go to Zuma,” Settlemoir said.

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Staff writer Anne-Marie O’Connor contributed to this story.