A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321 experienced a mechanical failure shortly after departure on Friday, September 30th. The aircraft registered N662NK was operating flight number NK-2077 when the incident occurred. The Airbus A321 departed via runway 15R at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI); on the climb out, the crew reported having issues with engine two, which is situated under the aircraft's right wing. The problem was first noticed while the plane was climbing through 3000 feet.Following the discovery of the issue, the flight crew abandoned their flight plan to Orlando International Airport (MCO) and declared an emergency. The pilots reported that the engine failed, forcing them to shut it down and return to BWI on one engine. ATC halted all departures to make room for the aircraft in distress before vectoring the Airbus onto an approach for runway 10. Approximately fifteen minutes after departure, the plane landed safely on runway 10.

Mechanical failure

Once on the ground, the flight crew was able to taxi the plane off the runway to the apron. Having arrived at the terminal, the jet was deplaned. All 218 people onboard, including passengers and crew, were safe and accounted for. The aircraft remains on the ramp at BWI as it undergoes repairs. The airline has stated that a mechanical failure caused the delay, although no specific details regarding the failure have been shared.

Passengers aboard the aircraft reported feeling the engine sputter and noticed sparks and flames being emitted from the right engine. A video of the event was captured by a plane spotter on the ground that shows the aircraft's right engine emitting a flash of light.

Spirit Airlines Airbus A321 incident Flight radar
The aircraft was vectored back around to land after it lost one engine. Photo: FlightRadar24

No other aircraft was used to fly this flight later in the evening forcing the airline to reroute passengers to their final destinations on other aircraft. This action came after an apology from the airline was issued to all passengers aboard the flight and any others that may have been affected by the delay. This flight saw a separate cancelation earlier this week when it was canceled on Thursday, September 29th, due to MCO being closed for hurricane IAN.

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Rare occurrence

While engine failures are relatively rare in aviation, they do still happen. For this reason, pilots undergo special training on how to operate aircraft equipped with two engines on only one engine. A little over a month ago, a Viva Aerobus Airbus A320, similar to the A321 in this incident, suffered a mechanical failure in its right engine. Passengers reported hearing a loud explosion, after which they noticed flames and sparks emitted from the engine.

This incident also occurred shortly after takeoff. The flight crew decided to return to Guadalajara's Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (GDL), from which they had departed. The aircraft landed safely with no reported injuries. Both of these similar engine failures saw proper action promptly initiated by the pilots to ensure a safe landing.

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Source: Aviation Herald, Flight Radar 24