The pilot of QF144, a Boeing 737, shut down the engine and made a mayday call over the Pacific Ocean, before landing safe at Sydney airport Wednesday afternoon.

In the wake of the incident, Qantas said all 145 passengers disembarked normally and that shutdowns were rare, with pilots trained to manage them safely.

Passengers reported feeling turbulence on the flight but said they were unaware of a mayday alert until they landed.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Thursday said three of its investigators had commenced the “evidence collection phase” of a probe into the incident, which was launched hours after the emergency.

“At the ATSB’s request the operator has quarantined the aircraft’s cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Once downloaded, information from those recorders will be analysed at the ATSB’s technical facilities in Canberra,” the ATSB said in a statement.

It said the officers would likely also interview flight crew, review operator procedures and analyse weather data.

The probe would also examine any relevant engine components, and could involve a “tear-down inspection of the engine”, the ATSB said.

The investigation would work to establish a sequence of events with the ultimate aim being to determine any underlying safety issues, the agency added.

“If at any time during the course of this investigation we uncover any critical safety issues, we will immediately share those … so timely safety action can be taken.”

Qantas said its investigations continued.

On Wednesday, Australian and International Pilots Association’ vice president Mark Hofmeyer commended the pilots for making safe decisions under pressure.

“At the end of the day, it was a safe outcome,” Mr Hofmeyer told AAP.

Federal Transport Minister Catherine King lauded Qantas’ safety record after the scare that had 100,000 people tracking the flight online.

“Well done to the highly experienced crew for getting the plane safely home,” she tweeted.

Qantas has never had a passenger lost on a jet aircraft in its history.

– AAP