Australian band in plane scare

Source: AAP|Published: Thursday September 7, 2:01 PM

Members of Aboriginal rock band Yothu Yindi were on board an aircraft that was forced to make an emergency landing at Darwin today after an engine failed.

Singer and dancer Jodie Cockatoo-Creed, bass player Stuart Kellaway and keyboard player Matt Cunliffe were on the Flight West Airlines flight to Gove, in the Northern Territory, when the engine failure forced it to land shortly after taking off from Darwin Airport at 7.30am (ACST).

A Youth Yindi Foundation spokeswoman said the plane blew a tyre as it came in to land.

The three were heading to the annual indigenous Garma Festival, in north-eastern Arnhem Land, where their band is due to play on Saturday night.

Lead singer, songwriter and former Australian of the Year Mandawuy Yunupingu was already in Gove preparing for the concert, spokeswoman Sonny Kent told AAP today.

'We have managed to convince Jodie to get on another flight which is expected to arrive after midday,' she said.

A spokesman from Flight West Airlines said the company would release details of the incident in a press release.

http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0009/07/A51894-2000Sep7.shtml

-- Doris (reaper1@mindspring.com), September 07, 2000