Qantas plane makes emergency landing after fuselage rupture
‘Gaping hole from the wing to the underbody’. (Reuters: Handout )
A Qantas 747 has made an emergency landing in the Philippines capital Manila because of a large rupture in the plane’s fuselage.
The flight with 365 people on board was flying from London to Melbourne, via Hong Kong when it was forced to land. None of the passengers have been seriously injured.
Less than two hours after flight QF 30 left Hong Kong this morning, the pilot sought an emergency landing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport after reporting a hole in the plane’s cargo section near the right wing.
The plane was flying at 29,000 feet when its fuselage ruptured causing the cabin to lose air pressure.
Passengers on the flight have said that the plane plunged about 20,000 feet and a door apparently popped open.
Qantas has confirmed the plane has landed at Manila and is being inspected on the tarmac, but will not say what caused the emergency landing.
Qantas chief executive officer Geoff Dixon said initial inspections showed the aircraft had sustained a hole in its fuselage, and it was being inspected by engineers.
He said the flight crew performed emergency procedures after oxygen masks were deployed and there were no reports of any injuries.
Peter Gibson from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority says initial reports indicate a problem with the air pressure in the cabin.
“The pilot has some pressurisation warnings about a door on the left hand side of the aircraft, but exactly what went wrong is still being determined,” he said.
The Transport Safety Bureau has confirmed a large hole was ripped into the fuselage in the cargo section of the plane.
Speaking from the Manila airport, passenger Dr June Kane says she heard a loud bang from underneath the plane, and saw debris fly through the cabin.
“I’m looking at the plane now and on the left hand side, just forward of the wing, there’s a gaping hole from the wing to the underbody,” she said.
“It’s about two metres by four metres and there’s baggage hanging out so you assume that there’s a few bags that may have gone missing.”
Dr Kane says she heard the bang while the plane was flying over the South China Sea.
“There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew forward into first (class) and the oxygen masks dropped down,” she said.
“We were told that one of the rear doors, a hole had blown into it, but I’ve since looked at the plane and there’s a gigantic gaping hole in the plane.
“It was absolutely terrifying but I have to say everyone was very calm.”
Another passenger, Brendan McClements, says there was a rush of wind and the plane began to shake
“I had my seat belt on and I strapped it on a bit tighter, put the mask over my head and from then on it was like what happens happens,” he said.
A Qantas supervisor in Manila says all the passengers have been taken to hotels in Manila.
She says the situation was not life threatening.
The Australian embassy in Manila is assisting travellers who are expected to be put on another flight later today.
Qantas said the 747-400 was not the one that was used to fly Pope Benedict XVI out of Australia earlier this month after his visit to Sydney.
Qantas management around the country are busy behind closed doors planning their response to impending industrial action by NUW members.
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