PERTH (AFP)--Up to 40 passengers and crew were injured, some suffering broken bones and cuts, when a Qantas (QAN.AU) jetliner suddenly changed altitude 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 the midair 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 air base, which lies about 1,100 kilometers northeast of the state capital of Perth, Sgt. Greg Lambert of the West Australian Police said.
“It is understood up to 40 people were injured during a midair incident,” he said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau 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.
Qantas couldn’t 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 1:35 p.m. (0535 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 midair drama.
The hole was ripped in the fuselage of the plane, which was carrying 365 people, as it cruised at 29,000 feet (8,839 meters) 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, said despite the review there wasn’t evidence to suggest any links between three midair emergencies on Qantas flights.
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Up To 40 Injured In Qantas Midair Incident
7 October 2008
PERTH (AFP)--Up to 40 passengers and crew were injured, some suffering broken bones and cuts, when a Qantas (QAN.AU) jetliner suddenly changed altitude 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 the midair 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 air base, which lies about 1,100 kilometers northeast of the state capital of Perth, Sgt. Greg Lambert of the West Australian Police said.
“It is understood up to 40 people were injured during a midair incident,” he said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau 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.
Qantas couldn’t 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 1:35 p.m. (0535 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 midair drama.
The hole was ripped in the fuselage of the plane, which was carrying 365 people, as it cruised at 29,000 feet (8,839 meters) 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, said despite the review there wasn’t evidence to suggest any links between three midair emergencies on Qantas flights.
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