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Photos of the plane showed a gaping hole in the engine on the right side. Picture: Supplied

None of the plane's 212 passengers were injured. Picture: Supplied

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New engine for Qantas plane after blast

The same jet has previously been investigated for a faulty engine, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the Herald Sun reports.

The four-engine Boeing 747, which departed from San Francisco International Airport for Sydney at about 11.10pm local time on Monday (4pm Tuesday AEST), was in the air for 45 minutes and at 30,000ft when there was an explosion in the No. 4 engine.

Passengers reportedly heard a loud bang and said the plane jolted sharply, forcing pilots to declare an emergency. One man said there were flames coming out of the engine.

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Photos showed a gaping hole in the engine on the right side of the aircraft.

In similar circumstances to yesterday's flight, the same aircraft made an emergency landing with just three of four working engines in August 2006, after the flight crew were forced to shut down one engine following a fuel leak.

The 2006 incident resolved as the plane - with 243 passengers and 18 crew members on board - diverted to Darwin after the faulty engine was shut down. The incident was the seventh of its type globally, according to a report.

In this week's incident, the pilot dumped fuel over the Pacific Ocean and returned to San Francisco at approximately 12.45am local time, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

There was no fire, according to Qantas spokesman Simon Rushton, KTVU reports, but he said a surge in the engine may have caused what appeared to be flames.

None of the plane’s passengers were injured, and authorities were investigating the explosion.

Qantas has been contacted for comment.