by Muzliza Mustafa
The Malaysian Insider
April 21, 2014

Passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH192 bound for Bangalore, which had to return to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport a few hours later after its departure last night, praised the crew for handling the situation calmly.

Passengers said the aircraft had a “bumpy” take-off when it departed from KLIA about 10.15pm yesterday.

Marta Alonso, a telecommunication engineer from Spain, said she knew something was not right as soon as the plane took off.

“It was bumpy and shaky. Not long after that the pilot announced we needed to make an emergency landing. It was frightening,” she said at the airport today.

Alonso was one of the 159 passengers and seven crew members onboard of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

She said the cabin crew, however, remained under control.

“It was calm. The pilot did a good job by giving a constant update on the situation,” she said.

Alonso was supposed to start working in Bangalore tomorrow.

Australian Maslahuddin Khan, 40, praised the pilot for handling the situation calmly.

He said although they had a bumpy take-off, the pilot handled the situation well.

“There was turbulence during the departure but the landing procedure was handled well. We panicked at first but all remained calm,” he said.

The pilot later identified as Nor Adam Azmi Abdul Razak.

Eugene Chin, 24, an IT strategist said many on the flight were traumatised by the incident.

“I panicked but the pilot was calm and updated us on the situation. We were hovering for few hours before the pilot did the emergency landing,” said Chin.

The incident, however, would not stop him from going to Bangalore.

“I will take the next flight to Bangalore tomorrow. This incident will not stop me from attending the training,” he said.

MAS flight MH192 was forced to make an air turn back towards KLIA after the aircraft’s right-hand landing gear malfunctioned upon take-off.

The aircraft, which departed at 10.09pm yesterday, was scheduled to arrive in Bangalore at 11.35pm the same day.

It landed safely at 1.56am after flying for a few hours.

It circled the airspace above the KLIA in an attempt to burn fuel before attempting an emergency landing.

In a statement released at 1.35am, MAS confirmed the incident, saying that the aircraft’s right-hand landing gear malfunctioned upon take-off.

Meanwhile, the New Straits Times reported that a spokesperson from the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) said the plane would not be allowed to land until it was nearly out of fuel.

It has been a tough couple of months for MAS. First MH370 bound for Beijing disappeared from radar on March 8. As the search for MH370 enters its 45th day, there are still no signs of the plane in the Indian Ocean.

Another MAS flight – MH066 – departed from Kuala Lumpur bound for Seoul on March 24 was diverted to Hong Kong because of an inoperative aircraft generator.

Three days earlier, flight MH114 from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu was hit by a flock of birds during approach at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Upon landing, the aircraft was inspected by the engineer on duty. It was found that the aircraft’s landing light lens cover was broken. The aircraft was grounded for a night and the broken lens was replaced. – April 21, 2014.