Boeing 787 Dreamliner aborts takeoff from Australia airport at last minute for 'technical reasons': reports
An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aborted its takeoff from Melbourne Airport in Australia on Sunday for technical reasons, according to reports.
Etihad Airways Flight EY461 from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi began its acceleration on the runway just at around 7 p.m. before slamming on the brakes and coming to a stop.
"The flight crew decided to halt the take-off for technical reasons, the aircraft was safely brought to a stop on the runway and emergency services attended as a precaution," Etihad Airways told UAE state-owned newspaper The National.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a passenger on the plane said two tires burst after the landing gear caught fire.
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Etihad did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
A Melbourne Airport spokesperson told FOX Business that emergency crews responded to the aircraft and deployed firefighting foam as a precaution.
"All 289 passengers safely disembarked the aircraft and were bused to the terminal yesterday evening," the spokesperson added.
Once passengers were off the aircraft, it was towed off the runway.
The incident forced officials to shut down the runway, which did not reopen until Monday morning local time after all inspections of the runway had been completed.
Etihad Airways told airport officials it was re-booking passengers on future flights.
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The flight tracking site FlightRadar24.com shows the aircraft’s track from the terminal to the runway, where data shows it reached around 170 miles per hour before coming to a stop.
The manufacturer of the plane, Boeing, was plagued with crisis after crisis in 2024 after a door flew off a Boeing 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines.
Investigators found that four key bolts had been missing from the door plug to the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft when it took off from Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 5, 2024. The panel blew off at 16,000 feet, which caused the cabin to depressurize before the flight returned safely to Portland International Airport.
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Boeing also launched an investigation into whether some of the fasteners on its undelivered 787 Dreamliner planes were incorrectly installed.
The Federal Aviation Administration told FOX Business last year that "Boeing disclosed that it may have improperly installed fuselage fasteners on some 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
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When reached for comment on the takeoff being aborted, Boeing deferred all questions from FOX Business to Etihad Airways.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.