The massive disruption to flights caused by a volcanic eruption in Iceland this week has brought back memories of a drama which unfolded on a British Airways flight in 1982.
The Boeing 747 carrying 262 people en route from Kuala Lumpur to Perth when it flew through ash from an Indonesian volcano.
All four engines cut out at 37,000 feet above the South Indian Ocean.
British Airways pilot Eric Moody was at the controls and says the engines failed within 90 seconds and the ash stripped the paint off the plane.
New Zealander Muriel Ross was on the flight and told Checkpoint on Friday that passengers realised there was a problem when things got a bit bumpy - and then they noticed the vibration of the engines had stopped.
The plane is thought to have come out of the ash at about 15,000 feet and eventually had enough clean air to re-start the engines.
