A Sydney-bound Qantas jet was forced to turn back after an engine problem punched a hole in the metal shell around it.
The flight left San Francisco at 11.05 on Monday evening, carrying 212 passengers and 18 crew.
The Boeing 747-400 returned one hour and 40 minutes later, San Francisco airport duty manager Carol Spear told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Excessive vibration was reported around 15 minutes into the flight and eventually the decision to shut the engine down was made.
“They also made the appropriate decision to seek priority clearance to return to San Francisco,” Qantas Airways spokesman Simon Rushton told reporters in Sydney.
Fuel was dumped over the Pacific as a precaution.
No injuries were reported and the plane was able to pull up to the aerobridge so that passengers could disembark the plane at the terminal.
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