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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 |
