The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is weighing up whether to investigate after a Newcastle-bound flight from Melbourne was forced to turn back and land at Tullamarine when pilots received a cockpit notification of a potential mechanical problem.
The Newcastle Herald spoke to a Newcastle man on the Monday evening flight who said at least one fire crew had been waiting on the tarmac when the QantasLink Boeing 717 landed.
The aborted flight QF1598 was in the air about an hour after taking off at 8.20pm.
Qantas said the pilots had not asked for a priority landing.
Airline engineers assessed the aircraft on Monday evening.
Flight tracking records show the aircraft travelled north towards Newcastle before re-entering Melbourne from the east and following an irregular path above the city before joining the usual approach route to Tullamarine from the north.
"There was a lot of unusual acceleration and other sound, but nothing that was particularly alarming," the passenger said.
"No bumping around for passengers, anyway."
The passengers stayed in a hotel overnight before flying to Newcastle on Tuesday morning.
The ATSB said it had been notified of the incident and was gathering more information before deciding whether to launch a formal investigation.
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