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Monday, 24 November 2008

Govt to watch Qantas inquiry closely

15/10/2008 7:32:24 AM.  | 

A Qantas jet's mid-air drops in altitude appears to be an isolated incident, the federal government says, but a close eye will be kept on investigations as they continue.

Qantas flight 72 from Singapore to Perth last week suffered two unexpected drops in altitude with passengers flung around the cabin and more than 70 people suffering injuries.

"This appears to be an isolated incident," Transport Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said it was likely a fault in the Airbus A330-300 jet's inertial reference unit was the cause of the incident.

The unit collects information on weather, converts it to altitude and speed, and then feeds the information into the plane's primary flight computers.

The problem caused the plane to plunge about 650 feet, or almost 200 metres, and caused a second less severe drop.

ATSB investigation director Julian Walsh said it appeared to have been a unique event.

"These aircraft have been operating over many hundreds of thousands of hours over many years, and this type of event has not been seen before," he told reporters.

"It's probably unlikely there will be a recurrence. But, obviously, we won't dismiss that, and it's important that we investigate to find out what led to the (fault) and reduce the chance of that happening in the future."

Geoff Thomas, a highly experienced aviation journalist, says passengers should have no concern about flying in an A330-300.

"It's because of the computerisation of aircraft like the A330 that they have a perfect flying record," Mr Thomas told AAP.

"It's eliminated pilot error, essentially, which used to be 70 per cent of the reason for air crashes."

Mr Albanese said the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) would maintain a close watch on the bureau's investigation.

"I will be guided by advice from the ATSB and CASA who are working closely with Airbus and Qantas in this investigation," Mr Albanese said.

"The government will ensure that any necessary safety action is taken."

Airbus has also issued new guidelines to carriers operating its A330 model. The advice provides guidance for crews to take certain action when they observe certain warnings and indications in the cockpit.

COMMENTS

Thursday, 16 October 2008

An Emirates plane made an emergency landing at Perth airport today. It probably won't make the news...WHY? Because it wasn't Qantas. Sad.

Posted by: Gareth Benson, Blacktown

 

Thursday, 16 October 2008

I bet the Perth emergency will make the news. The reason Qantas makes the news is that it is "our own Aussie airline" and once had a good reputation for safety and service. Plus it seems to be the only airline having mid-flight mishaps, like big chunks falling off the plane. Also, how many people, like on the Qantas flights, where seriously injured or nearly suffocated on the Emirates flight? Sorry, but begs the question, HOW stupid are you?

Posted by: Russell Jones, Toowomba

 
 

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