Qantas plane (Gigantis Budgie) in mid-air scare
Qantas plane in mid-air scare
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QF32 sits on the runway at Changi Airport with a badly damaged engine number two. (AFP: Roslan Rahman)
Qantas says one of its passenger planes has landed safely at Singapore's Changi airport after experiencing an "engine issue" shortly after take-off. The airline says the Airbus A380 aircraft, with 433 passengers and 26 crew aboard, made the emergency landing about 11.45am (local time). Qantas spokeswoman Olivia Wirth says all passengers and crew on flight QF32 are safe and well.
Reports say when the plane landed there was smoke coming out of its underside and it was quickly surrounded by six fire engines. Ms Wirth told ABC News 24 there was an issue with one of the plane's engines. "There was an issue with engine number two and that engine was shut down and the aircraft arrived safely," she said. "We are now looking into the situation and we have engineers on board currently assessing the engine. "All 433 passengers and 26 crew, we actually had three captains on board at the time... all are safe and well." Ms Wirth says engineers are currently working overtime to assess the engine and determine exactly what went on. "We're looking it it. It is obviously a very important issue for us, but most important is that the passengers and crew have arrived safely," she said.
Debris
There are reports that parts may have fallen from the plane and debris has been found on the ground on the Indonesian island of Batam. A witness says they saw an explosion in the air over the island, south of Singapore. The head of Indonesia's Air Transport Department says several parts from the Qantas plane crashed to earth on Batam. The head of the local police station there says chunks of debris, several metres long, featuring red and white paint work fell in two locations. He says a cargo door was found on a street in a housing complex and television pictures also show a large, curved piece of red metal crossed by a strip of white which resembles the distinctive curve of the flying kangaroo. Ms Wirth was unable to confirm if the debris found on Batam Island was from the Qantas plane. "No, any commentary of this sort is speculative at this stage and we can't confirm [that]," she said. "We are currently assessing what damage has been done to the aircraft and at this stage it's purely speculative and we can't provide any further information as to the cause. "We are waiting to hear and we will be providing regular updates." QF 32 is the usual daylight flight London to Sydney which stops over in Singapore. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said the Qantas flight developed mechanical problems. "The flight has landed safely at Changi Airport and there are no passengers or crew injured," the spokesperson said. DFAT says the Australian High Commission staff are on their way to Changi to assist any Australians on board the flight. If you are unable to contact relatives and hold concerns for their welfare, call DFAT's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on (02) 6261 3305 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (02) 6261 3305 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or within Australia on 1300 555 135 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1300 555 135 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
'Engines very reliable'
Australian and International Pilots Association vice-president and Qantas pilot Richard Woodward says the captains on board would have been extensively trained to handle the situation. "It's one of the things we train for constantly, and the engines are very, very reliable - once in 20 to 25 years is the failure rate of a modern engine," he said. He says it would have been "fairly frantic" on board the plane, but that airlines can normally fly "perfectly fine" on three engines. On the debris which has been found in Indonesia, Captain Woodward says it is probably "fibreglass, not really structural for the aeroplane". The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says it has a team on stand-by for deployment. A spokesman says it is liaising with Qantas and counterparts in Singapore and Indonesia to coordinate any investigation. The A380 is the world's largest passenger plane, and Qantas is one of only five airlines that currently fly the double-decker plane. Reports of the incident sent the Australian carrier's shares lower but they later recovered. Qantas has never had a fatal accident. A mid-air explosion blew a minivan-size hole in the side of a Qantas 747-400 in 2008 which Australian air safety investigators blamed on an oxygen bottle.
- ABC/AFP/Retuers
