Engine problem grounds Moscow-Tbilisi flight

More than 130 passengers travelling from Moscow to Tbilisi, Georgia on flight S7-955 today were temporarily stranded in the Russian capital after the plane suffered an engine problem before take-off.

The A320 airliner of Russia’s S7 Airlines failed to depart Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport due to an engine problem, reported Russian media today.

Russian state-owned news agency TASS cited one of the flight’s passenger, who alleged one of the plane’s two engines caught fire as the plane was about to leave for Tbilisi earlier today.

S7 Airlines has since rebutted the allegation and said there was no fire.

"As the plane started accelerating along the runway, a bright flash occurred under the portside wing near the engine. The plane promptly stopped,” the passenger told TASS, noting he witnessed the flash through the airplane window.

Shortly after the pilot addressed passengers over the loud speaker. He said the plane had developed technical problems and all passengers would be offloaded and diverted on another flight.

"The Airbus A320 returned from the takeoff point following a warning of possible technical problems. The plane had not begun to accelerate along the runway [before the issue was detected]. The engine fire rumour is untrue," S7 Airlines told TASS.

TASS also quoted an unnamed law enforcement official, who said the plane had developed technical problems but the engine fire rumour had not been confirmed.

"According to the Russian air transport authority Rosaviatsiya and the airport’s flight chief said as the A320 plane was getting ready for take-off from Moscow to Tbilisi when a technical problem in one of the engines was identified, but there was no fire. The flight’s 138 passengers will take another flight," the source told TASS.

Russian transport police officials told TASS the Domodedovo Airport has since returned to normal operations.