'Sudden upset' on Qantas jet

2008-10-07 11:30

Perth - Up to 40 passengers and crew were injured, some suffering broken bones and cuts, when a Qantas jetliner suddenly changed altitude on Tuesday, Australian police and the airline said.

The Airbus A330-300 made an emergency landing at an airfield near the Western Australian town of Exmouth after making a mayday call when the mid-air drama struck during a flight from Singapore to Perth.

"A number of passengers and crew sustained injuries, including fractures and lacerations, on board QF72 this afternoon en route from Singapore to Perth following a sudden change in altitude," the Australian flag carrier said.

Emergency services and medical staff were on standby at the Learmonth airbase, which lies about 1 100km northeast of the state capital of Perth, said Sergeant Greg Lambert of the West Australian Police.

"It is understood up to 40 people were injured during a mid-air incident," he said.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said early reports indicated that around 30 passengers and crew had been hurt, 15 of them sustaining serious injuries, including broken bones and lacerations.

"While cruising in level flight, the aircraft experienced a sudden in-flight upset, resulting in injuries to a number of cabin crew and passengers, primarily in the rear of the aircraft," the bureau said in a statement.

"The crew declared a mayday and diverted the aircraft to Learmonth ... where it landed without further incident," it said, adding that it was launching an immediate investigation.

A spate of incidents

Qantas could not confirm the number of injured nor whether the aircraft dropped or rose suddenly in altitude.

An emergency services worker said paramedics had boarded the Qantas aircraft and were tending to the injured after it touched down at around 05:35 GMT.

Emergency vehicles and ambulances surrounded the aircraft after it came to a halt, eyewitnesses said.

Qantas, which has long boasted a reputation of being one of the world's safest airlines, has suffered a spate of incidents in recent months that have tarnished its safety record.

In July, an exploding oxygen bottle punched a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747-400, forcing an emergency landing in the Philippines. No passengers were injured in the mid-air drama.

The hole was ripped in the fuselage of the plane, which was carrying 365 people, as it cruised at 8 800m en route from Hong Kong to Australia.

Australian air safety investigators in August announced a safety review of Qantas after two other incidents occurred involving its aircraft within two weeks.

On July 28, a Qantas Boeing 737-800 returned to Adelaide after a landing gear door failed to retract. In early August a Boeing 767 bound for Manila turned back to Sydney after developing a hydraulic fluid leak.

But the aviation watchdog, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa), said that despite the review there was no evidence to suggest any links between three mid-air emergencies on Qantas flights.

- AFP