Emergency crews were waiting for the plane upon landing
Credit: getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A vape pen caught fire on Virgin Australia flight VA328 en route from Brisbane to Melbourne on Sunday, March 15
- The flight crew made an emergency call mid-flight, and emergency crews were waiting for the plane upon landing at Melbourne Airport
- There were no reported injuries
A vape pen caught on fire aboard a plane in Australia, leading to a mid-air call for help.
The incident occurred on Sunday, March 15, on Virgin Australia flight VA328. The plane was en route from Brisbane to Melbourne, according to New.com.au, 9 News and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Credit: Katharina13/Getty
The plane was preparing to land when it is believed the vape ignited, per the outlets. The flight crew made a PAN call, and emergency crews were waiting for the plane upon landing at Melbourne Airport.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
A PAN call is an aviation urgency signal used by a pilot to tell air traffic control that there is a serious problem on board, per the Federal Aviation Administration.
Emergency crews were on standby when the plane landed, and passengers exited the aircraft with no reported injuries, per the outlets.
“This afternoon Melbourne Airport responded to a PAN call from Virgin Australia flight VA328 from Brisbane after reports a vape had ignited onboard the aircraft,” a Melbourne Airport spokesperson confirmed in a statement to New.com.au.
“As a precaution and in accordance with standard procedures, emergency services were placed on standby. The Boeing 737 aircraft landed safely and taxied to the gate, where passengers were able to disembark normally,” the spokesperson added.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
In a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald, a Virgin spokesperson said, “The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority, and we thank our crew for their swift response in containing the device.”
Melbourne Airport and Virgin Australia did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Public records from FlightAware show that the flight landed at Melbourne Airport on time at 4:25 p.m. local time.
Read the full article here