A WORLDWIDE investigation is underway after an engine on a Hong Kong bound Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400 had to be shut down, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport.
All 311 passengers and 23 crew on board flight CX881 landed safely. Some transferred to other flights while many were put up in hotels until the damaged engine was changed.
The rescheduled flight is due to arrive in Hong Kong around 9.10 pm today, more than 25 hours late.
Cathay Pacific said the inside right No 2 engine started vibrating violently and noisily half an hour into yesterday's flight when the plane was about 160 kilometres west of Los Angeles, 6,500 metres above the Pacific Ocean.
The pilot shut it down and aborted the 13-hour flight, dumping tonnes of fuel over the ocean to ensure a safe landing.
One passenger said: ''I was sitting by the wing and I felt the plane starting to shake and vibrate. You could see the roof vibrating.