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Qantas Boeing B747-400 incident
A QANTAS jet made an emergency landing with a two
metre by four metre hole in its underbody and
baggage hanging out after it depressurised at
30,000 feet.
Australian passengers have told of a terrifying
mid-air emergency that left a gaping hole in the
side of the Melbourne-bound Qantas plane, forcing
an emergency landing in Manila.
Fuselage tear: Pilot praised after landing.
Somehow, the pilot managed to safely land the
Boeing 747, en route from London to Melbourne,
despite the "gigantic" hole in the belly of the
plane, near the wing.
Incredibly, no injuries were reported although
some passengers vomited after the plane touched
down.
Melbourne woman Dr June Kane said she heard a loud
bang and then saw debris flying through the
depressurised cabin.
"There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and
debris just flew forward into first (class) and
the oxygen masks dropped down," she told ABC Radio
from Manila airport.
"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."
"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."
"It was absolutely terrifying, but I have to say
everyone was very calm."
Manila airport operations officer Ding Lima told
local radio the plane lost cabin pressure shortly
after takeoff from Hong Kong and the pilot radioed
for an emergency landing.
"There is a big hole in the belly of the aircraft
near the right wing about three metres in
diameter," he said.
"Upon disembarkation, there were some passengers
who vomited. You can see in their faces that they
were really scared."
During the emergency part of the plane's flooring
gave way, exposing some of the cargo in the hold,
he said. Part of the ceiling also collapsed.
He said the aircraft was carrying 350 passengers
and 16 crew.
Other passengers who talked to the media at the
airport described hearing an explosion, followed
by oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling.
It's understood all passengers escaped injury.
Earlier reports said the flight plunged 20,000
feet after a door 'popped' mid-flight, passengers
are reporting.
Senior airline executives moved into an emergency
room at Qantas Mascot headquarters soon after the
plan landed and were briefed continuously
throughout the afternoon by aircraft engineers.
Were you on board? Tell us what happenedNo one at
Qantas was able to say mid afternoon how a
below-the-floor section of the fuselage, outside
the baggage compartment, was severely holed in the
incident.
The plane made an emergency landing in Manila
around 1:20pm, interrupting a flight between
London and Melbourne.
Melbourne's Herald Sun Online say oxygen masks
dropped from the ceiling during the incident.
The 747-400 jet had had flown incident free from
London to Hong Kong overnight and was on he final
leg outbound for Melbourne.
Passenger Brandan McClements said there was a
sudden 'gust of wind' through the plane.
"There was a degree of surprise people questioning
what it was," he said.
"There was a rush of wind as the air pressure came
down. It got people's attention. It was then a
matter of getting the masks on."
Another passenger described how children burst
into tears after a 'quick bang' reverberated
throught the cabin. She said the plane plunged,
but then stabilised after about five minutes.
Mr McClements, the chief executive of Victorian
Major Events, praised the pilot and crew.
"The crew were terrific they did a great job.
Everyone gave them a round of applause as we
landed."
Mr McClenents said the faulty door was on the
'driver's side' of the plane, just before the
wing. He said there was "a big gap where the door
used to be."
He said other passengers seemed in "resonably good
spirits."
The plane is believed to have suddenly plunged
from 30,000 feet to 10,000 feet.
Another passenger reported the masks fell from the
ceiling, the plane "dropped suddenly" and there
was a "fairly explosive" depressurisation.
One passenger reported the pilot did 'an amazing
job' of controlling the craft.
Flight QF 30 was due to arrive in Melbourne around
10pm tonight.
It was one hour from Hong Kong when the incident
occured.
The plane is currently on the tarmac at Manila
airport with all passengers - the majority of them
Australians - on board.
"Qantas can confirm Qantas flight 30 from Hong
Kong to Melbourne has been diverted to Manila," a
Qantas spokeswoman said.
"The aircraft is on the ground and being inspected
as we speak."
The spokeswoman would not comment on the cause of
the incident.
Tags : qantas incident accident boeing b747-400 hole airline passenger safe landing airliner cargo door almost crash extreme situation luck rescue scary awesome dangerous news today terrible australia asia emergency philippines cabin inside scenes gaping fuselage autos&vehicles manila oxygenmask world |
