Malta A320 at Malta on Nov 17th 2022, smoke in flight deck

Last Update: January 7, 2026 / 17:41:20 GMT/Zulu time

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Photo of Air Malta 9H-AHS, Airbus A320 — Air Malta 9H-AHS, Airbus A320 (Photo credit: Mike Burdett / Flickr / License: CC by-sa)

Incident Facts

Date of incident
Nov 17, 2022

Classification
Incident

Airline
Air Malta

Flight number
KM-514

Departure
Malta, Malta

Destination
Vienna, Austria

Aircraft Registration
9H-AHS

Aircraft Type
Airbus A320

ICAO Type Designator
A320

An Air Malta Airbus A320-200, registration 9H-AHS performing flight KM-514 from Malta (Malta) to Vienna (Austria) with 170 passengers and 7 crew, was climbing out of Malta's runway 23 when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared PAN PAN PAN reporting smoke in the flight deck and stopped the climb at about 2000 feet . The aircraft returned to Malta for a safe landing on runway 31 about 13 minutes after departure and stopped on the runway for an inspection by emergency services. The aircraft taxied to the apron about 8 minutes after landing.

The airline reported customers on the flight as well as the return flight KM-515 from Vienna are being taken to hotels to wait for the replacement flight.

On Dec 1st 2022 Malta's AIB reported the aircraft returned to Malta due to smoke in the cabin. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated by Malta's AIB.

Malta's BAAI released their final report dated Nov 24th 2025 concluding the probable causes of the serious incident were:

The Bureau of Air Accidents Investigations (BAAI Malta) has established that the cause of the fumes in the cockpit and forward galley with a pungent odour of burnt oil was a result of a broken engine seal. It was shown that engine No. 1 suffered a failure in the seal of bearing No.3. This resulted with oil mixing with the mainstream air, with a portion of it finding its way through the blead air, through pack 1 and into the cockpit and forward galley.

The same fumes and pungent odour were felt by the cabin crew at the forward galley to the over-wing emergency exit.

The BAAI summarized the sequence of events:

Shortly after take-off from RWY 23, the flight crew and passengers sitting in the midsection of the aircraft, noticed a burnt oil odour. The cabin crew, who were sitting in the forward part of the aircraft, adjacent to the forward galley, were alerted by the passengers to the fumes and pungent smell. The cockpit-crew was informed, and the crew decided to return back to the departure airport. Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (RFFS) personnel reported no signs of fire or obvious damage in and around the aircraft. The aircraft then taxied to the apron on its own power. Passengers and crew disembarked normally, with no damages or injuries reported. All passengers and crew were tested for possible fume inhalation at the arrival’s terminal, and all on board tested negative.