Rhys Hanbury in mid air drama on way back from Sydney (From Runcorn and Widnes World)

Rhys Hanbury in mid air drama on way back from Sydney

9:21am Friday 16th November 2012 in Vikings news

VIKINGS half back Rhys Hanbury endured a dramatic return flight from his native Australia.

Just 20 minutes into the journey there was an announcement from cabin crew on the Emirates A380 aircraft stating “something has gone wrong on starboard engine number three on the you are currently aboard”.

Hanbury, who was one of the 380 people on board caught up in the commotion, said he he and his fellow passengers witnessed a loud bang followed by a flash.

He said: "To be honest, it was all a bit of a shock to the system and like something you see in the movies and never expect to happen to you, in real life.

"At first, we presumed it was nothing more than a passing thunder cloud until the realisation that it was something far more sinister kicked in, and we saw a series of sparks coming from one of the engines!

"The staff were all pretty calm though which was reassuring and as soon as they managed to shut down the damaged motor, it continued to fly as normal because the other three engines were unaffected.

"It took us around two and a half hours to get there because we were still carrying so much fuel, but eventually we landed back in one piece at Sydney Airport."

Fortunately, the flight was successfully brought to ground without incident, much to the relief off Hanbury.