On September 8, 2021, Turkish Airlines wanted to fly with the TC-JOB as TK42 from Istanbul to Johannesburg. Shortly after take-off, an engine malfunction was discovered. This was accidentally captured on video by a passenger.

The Airbus A330 circled near Istanbul for more than four hours to burn excess fuel. The fuel level was very high due to the fact that a more than nine hour flight to Johannesburg was planned. The TC-JOB landed safely at Istanbul Airport around four hours and 25 minutes after take-off.

As can be seen in the video embedded below, the left engine malfunctioned during the climb. Flames were visible. The pilots noticed this and initiated an immediate emergency shutdown of the affected engine. It is currently unclear whether the extinguishing system was used or not.

In any case, the captain decided to land back at Istanbul Airport. A common practice in such situations. However, the plane was too heavy and had to get rid of excess fuel. A decision was made against so-called fuel dumping over the sea and burned the fuel by circling over the Black Sea near Istanbul for around four hours.

Unclear whether the dumping facility even exists

In such situations, the question arises as to whether fuel dumping and a faster landing or burning fuel is the better solution. The master has to make such a decision taking into account all parameters. In the case of the Airbus A330, there is also the fact that the dumping device is not available as standard, but can be installed as an extra, which is subject to a surcharge. Turkish Airlines did not provide any information about whether or not this facility was included in the TC-JOB or the entire A330 fleet. It is therefore not clear whether the captain could have resorted to fuel dumping at all.

Draining fuel is generally controversial because it is not exactly considered environmentally friendly. This may be permissible in special emergency situations, for example if one or more engines fail. If possible, fuel dumping must take place over uninhabited areas or over the sea. However, many captains do without it if the current emergency situation allows it and prefer to burn the excess kerosene in circles.

Basically, the Airbus A330 is able to fly with just one engine. However, the rule is that a landing must take place as quickly as possible. This must be done at the nearest possible airport. In the specific case, the three airports in Istanbul came into question, but the machine had too much fuel on board. In this respect, the captain did not have much leeway for his decision. It is essential that he has brought the passengers, the crew and the aircraft safely to the ground.

Accident investigation initiated

However, it is unclear what caused the malfunction of the left engine of the Airbus A330-300 in the first place. At around 7,5 years of age, the long-haul jet is quite young. A so-called accident investigation has now been initiated. This means that experts will examine the engine and the aircraft carefully and later explain the cause in a report. Therefore the TC-JOB is temporarily withdrawn from circulation. Turkish Airlines will then have to replace the engine.

The carrier took the passengers to Johannesburg on another long-haul aircraft. Due to the involuntary landing back in Istanbul, their arrival in South Africa was significantly delayed.