VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A United States Department of State aircraft was forced to return to Malta International Airport after declaring an emergency shortly after take-off.
The De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300, registered N563AW and operating under the callsign STATE50, departed Malta at around 7.20am on 5 July.
According to Aviation MT, the aircraft declared an emergency while flying about 30 nautical miles west of Gozo before turning back towards Malta.
The turboprop landed safely at Malta International Airport just minutes later. No injuries were reported.
Images taken after landing showed the aircraft taxiing back to its stand with one engine shut down, indicating that an engine malfunction may have prompted the emergency.
The exact cause of the incident has not been officially confirmed.
The emergency return was also tracked and flagged by Flightradar24.
The aircraft is operated by the United States Department of State and is regularly used for government transport missions.
– Photo Aviation MT –
(ITALPRESS).
