QANTAS is fighting to save its safety reputation, insisting last night’s mid-air drama was not an emergency.
Just days after a Qantas 747 made an emergency landing in Manila with a gaping hole in its fuselage, passengers aboard a flight to Melbourne last night claimed there was cabin “chaos” when the jet was forced to return to Adelaide.
The Boeing 767 left Adelaide shortly after 6pm but turned around 10 minutes into the flight after a door over one of the wheel bays failed to close, a Qantas spokesperson confirmed.
There were initial reports of confusion and chaos in the cabin, with some passengers believing a cabin door had opened midflight and that an emergency landing followed.
But Qantas said there was no chaos and no emergency landing.
“Qantas flight 692 operating between Adelaide and Melbourne performed a routine ‘air turn-back’ shortly after take-off, due to an indication of one of the landing gear doors failing to retract,” the spokesperson said.
“The aircraft landed without incident and all passengers were accommodated on other flights. There was no safety risk at any time.”
The spokeswoman said air cabin crew kept the passengers informed of what was happening as the plane returned to Adelaide, before they were transferred to other flights.
The passengers eventually arrived in Melbourne at 12.15am (AEST) today, some five hours after their original scheduled arrival.
The latest incident comes three days after a hole was blasted in the fuselage of a Qantas Boeing 747 during an international flight to Melbourne, forcing it to land in Manila.
Investigators are still trying to determine exactly what caused the blast but speculation is increasing that an oxygen cylinder exploded mid-flight, shortly after leaving Hong Kong, forcing it to make an emergency landing in the Philippines capital.
Qantas’s woes were compounded earlier in the day yesterday when a trial of a new baggage check-in system forced passengers to queue for more than an hour for baggage in Sydney.
The latest incident coincided with yesterday’s naming of Jetstar boss Alan Joyce as the new chief executive of parent company Qantas.
Mr Joyce takes over from Geoff Dixon on November 28.
Source :News.com.au
By: KabirT - 1st August 2008 at 10:40
Qantas 692 interior damage photos.
By: steve rowell - 1st August 2008 at 04:06
Qantas passengers in toilet turmoil
A Qantas customer was forced to urinate in a sick bag after the airline refused to let passengers out of their seats during an extended landing.
Flight QF183 heading from Sydney to Queenstown, New Zealand, was diverted to Christchurch three hours into the journey due to bad weather.
The plane had to circle around the airport before landing, with passengers forced to stay in their seats.
One man, Richard Donald, said passengers had to wait for more than an hour without being able to move.
“It was a smooth flight up and there was no reason to keep everyone waiting for so long, but the pilot kept the lights on and wouldn’t let anyone get out of their seat,” he said.
The pilot circled the airport, he said.
“And then, when we finally did touch down, there was a rush to the loos. The lines were about 10 to 15 long on either side.
“There was a lady behind me screaming, ‘I have to go to the toilet’ and then I saw a man doing his business in one of the airline sick bags.”
A Qantas spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on the incident.
Source: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/07/31/1217097407083.html
******
QF seems to be having a wonderfull PR week. :p
Much ado about nothing i think
By: KabirT - 31st July 2008 at 06:52
Qantas passengers in toilet turmoil
A Qantas customer was forced to urinate in a sick bag after the airline refused to let passengers out of their seats during an extended landing.
Flight QF183 heading from Sydney to Queenstown, New Zealand, was diverted to Christchurch three hours into the journey due to bad weather.
The plane had to circle around the airport before landing, with passengers forced to stay in their seats.
One man, Richard Donald, said passengers had to wait for more than an hour without being able to move.
“It was a smooth flight up and there was no reason to keep everyone waiting for so long, but the pilot kept the lights on and wouldn’t let anyone get out of their seat,” he said.
The pilot circled the airport, he said.
“And then, when we finally did touch down, there was a rush to the loos. The lines were about 10 to 15 long on either side.
“There was a lady behind me screaming, ‘I have to go to the toilet’ and then I saw a man doing his business in one of the airline sick bags.”
A Qantas spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on the incident.
Source: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/07/31/1217097407083.html
******
QF seems to be having a wonderfull PR week. :p
By: steve rowell - 30th July 2008 at 23:47
A Cathay Pacific 744 bound for Hong Kong suffered midair damage to its air conditioning system, but the incident posed no danger to the flight’s 347 passengers.
The crew heard a noise as the plane cruised at 20,000 feet after leaving New York. The Boeing 747-400 made its scheduled landing in Vancouver on Tuesday morning, where crew members discovered that an air conditioning access panel had detached from the aircraft. It caused some minor damage to other parts of the fuselage.
“The fiber glass skin panel is a secondary structure which has nothing to do with structural integrity. The event had no impact on the operation of the aircraft. “The event represented no danger to the aircraft or those on board.”
The airplane was repaired and put back in service.
By: Deano - 29th July 2008 at 22:46
Well by the very phrase “found a very young pilot radioing for a GPU” completely rules me out straight away 😀
To be honest mate, sounds like a ramp drama to me that the passengers & crew were very lucky to walk away from, maybe you can sell your story to the News Of The World?
Where did the Q4 from in from?
By: Cking - 29th July 2008 at 22:32
Not today mate, day off today (well if you call instructing a day off), this in MAN?
Yes I was around stand 52 when a Q400’s APU made an odd “phutting” noise and went all quiet.
I went over to see if any passengers were screaming in terror and found a very young pilot radioing for a GPU. I was most disapointed not to see him wrestling with the controls. Using all my experience I said “Sounds like your APU’s broke mate” Without a trace of fear he said “compleatly dead mate!” I am now trying to sell my story to the highest bidder. The Sale and Altrincham messenger has offered me £2.50.
Rgds Cking
By: Deano - 29th July 2008 at 22:18
Not today mate, day off today (well if you call instructing a day off), this in MAN? was there on Sunday afternoon.
By: Cking - 29th July 2008 at 21:21
For goodness sake, this is no drama at all, it’s just the undercarriage bay doors failing to retract, quick call MI5, paratroopers, fire services, 20 ambulances, special forces etc etc. It really is no big deal. :rolleyes:
“Qantas flight runs out of little packets of nuts. Passengers screamed in terror! A spokes person for the airline said “Strewth mate! I’ts not like we ran out of beer”
It’s Qantas’s turn in the barrell, let the press have their fun. Next week it will be somebody else’s turn.
Rgds Cking
P.S. Deano It wasn’t you in the flight deck of a Q400 with a knackared APU this morning?
By: Deano - 29th July 2008 at 20:12
For goodness sake, this is no drama at all, it’s just the undercarriage bay doors failing to retract, quick call MI5, paratroopers, fire services, 20 ambulances, special forces etc etc. It really is no big deal. :rolleyes:
By: Newforest - 29th July 2008 at 15:41
excellent… i am doing QF SIN-MEL next month. 😀
Don’t believe that all things come in threes, safe travelling!:D
By: KabirT - 29th July 2008 at 10:20
excellent… i am doing QF SIN-MEL next month. 😀
By: Newforest - 29th July 2008 at 08:21
We kind of kept this latest episode on your first thread Steve!:D
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July 29, 2008 at 6:24 am