Quantas Plane Lands Safely After Mayday Call

SYDNEY (AP) – A Qantas flight traveling from New Zealand to Sydney has landed safely on a single engine after it issued a mayday call over the Pacific Ocean. Flight 144 with 145 passengers aboard landed at Sydney Airport on Wednesday after a 3.5-hour flight from Auckland. Qantas says the Boeing 737 experienced an issue with one of its two engines about an hour from Sydney. Qantas said the pilot shut down the engine, but did not specify the problem. The mayday was downgraded to a PAN-PAN, meaning possible assistance was needed, before the flight landed. Sydney Airport says emergency crews were put on standby as a precaution, including firefighters, ambulances, and police. Some passengers told reporters they heard a bang and a slight shudder.