LONDON - A Malaysia Airlines flight bound for India was forced to turn back due to an autopilot defect, the beleaguered airline said Sunday. The airline stressed that the auto-pilot defect "did not have any impact" on the safety of the plane or its passengers, calling the move to turn back a "precautionary measure."
Malaysia Airlines rejected claims on social media that there had been a fire on board Flight MH198 from Kuala Lumpur to Hyderabad, adding in a statement that the aircraft landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport "uneventfully." The flight was rescheduled for later Sunday. The airline has been hit hard by back-to-back disasters: the disappearance of Flight 370 in March and the downing of Flight 17 over Ukraine.
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