AN aircraft travelling from Dubbo to Sydney turned back following a "technical issue" with one of its engines.
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A QantasLink spokesperson said flight QF 2039 returned to Dubbo shortly after take-off on Friday afternoon when the captain received a warning light in the flight deck indicating a problem with the left engine.
"As a precaution, the engine was shut down," a QantasLink spokesperson said.
"The flight landed safely and passengers were re-accommodated on the next available services."
Dubbo man Jamie Riley told the Daily Liberal he thought he "was about to die" when passengers smelt smoke and one of two propellers stopped spinning during their flight to Sydney.
He described seeing "fear in some of the passengers' faces" and then clapping when the aircraft had landed safely after turning back 10 minutes into the flight.
Mr Riley, who had been flying to Sydney for surgery, was so spooked by the incident he changed his mind and decided to make the trip by car instead.
The QantasLink spokesperson said while passengers may have smelt fumes in the cabin there was no smoke.
The aircraft involved was a 74-seat Dash 8 Q400 series, which made its debut in Dubbo in March last year.
Most of the passengers on the plane involved in the mid-air incident were moved to the following service on Friday night, about an hour-and-a-half after their scheduled service, the QantasLink spokesperson said, while others were placed on the first flight to Sydney the following morning.
