Malaysia Airlines flight forced to turn back after autopilot defect

A Malaysia Airlines flight was forced to turn around due to an auto-pilot defect, landing safely early yesterday, said the carrier already reeling from the loss of two planes this year.

Flight MH198 from Kuala Lumpur to Hyderabad in India departed late on Saturday, but the Boeing 737-800 was back in Malaysia's capital almost four hours later after circling to burn fuel.

The airlines denied claims circulating in social media that the aircraft was on fire.

"The defect did not have any impact on the safety of the aircraft or passengers. However, as a precautionary measure, the operating captain decided to turn back," Malaysia's national flag carrier said in a statement.

The flight was rescheduled to depart Kuala Lumpur late yesterday.

Malaysia Airlines had a solid safety record until this year, when it lost two Boeing 777-200s.