Summary
- Flybondi flight FO5238 experienced engine failure shortly after takeoff from Buenos Aires Aeroparque and required an emergency landing at Ezeiza Airport.
- Passengers were rebooked on a replacement flight to reach their destination in Bariloche, which arrived over seven hours behind the original schedule.
- The aircraft involved in the incident joined the airline earlier this year from a tenure with Garuda Indonesia and is now being investigated by the Transport Safety Board.
Passengers onboard a Flybondi flight on Thursday had an unexpected trip to the other side of the nation’s capital of Buenos Aires when flight FO5238 departed from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP), destined for San Carlos de Bariloche but ended up at Ezeiza.
The flight departed without incident from Aeroparues’ runway 31. However, as the aircraft gained altitude, the engine failed, and the crew declared an emergency landing at just 3,000 ft.
After just 30 minutes in flight, the Boeing 737-8000 landed safely at Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) runway 11.
The specifics
According to Flightradar24.com, Flybondi FO5238 was scheduled to depart on October 5th from Buenos Aires Aeroparque at 05:30 for the flight South West to San Carlos de Bariloche, located at the foot of the Andes in the renowned Patagonia region. The flight, expected to arrive at 07:45, had a scheduled flight time of just over two hours.
The aircraft departed AEP at 05:09, and after reporting engine failure, the almost 14-year-old aircraft touched down after precisely 31 minutes in flight at EZE at 05:40.
Photo: claudio santisteban/Shutterstock.
LV-KHO, the Boeing 737-800 NG / MAX at the center of the drama, has remained on the apron at EZE since the incident, and the countries (JST), Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte (Transport Safety Board), is investigating.
The aircraft first took flight on January 25th, 2010, and spent 13 years in service for Garuda Indonesia (registration PK-GMK) from February 10th, 2010, until its move to Argentina on January 22nd this year. Data retrieved from Airfleets notes that the aircraft was returned to its lessor during its tenure with Garuda over the depths of the pandemic before finding its new home with Flybondi.
Replacement aircraft
Passengers hoping to reach their final destination in the Andes were rebooked onto a replacement service that eventually departed from Ezeria at 12:25 and touched down at 14:26 at Baloroches Teniente Luis Candelaria Airport (BRC), almost seven hours after the initial arrival time.
Photo: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.
LV-KAH, the replacement aircraft, another Boeing 737-8, has had a similar tenure in the sky, with an extensive list of previous operators, including XL Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, Sunwing and TUI, before entering service for Flybondi in July 2021.
Return flight FO5239
Given the late arrival of the inbound flight, the return service from Bariloche FO5239 eventually took off at 15:22, instead of its initial expected departure of 08:25, and touched down at Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery at 17:10, instead of 10:30 that morning. The service had a flight time of one hour and 48 minutes.
Sources: Flightradar24.com, Airfleets, AVHerald