Qantas flight QF30, a Boeing 747-438 (VH-OJK) from London via Hong Kong to Melbourne made an emergency landing in Manila (Philippines) today after a loud bang punched a hole in the plane’s fuselage at approximately 29000 feet, followed by a rapid decompression of the cabin. The crew were forced to conduct an emergency descent to 10000 feet and landed safely in Manila.
The Chief Executive Officer of Qantas said all 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked normally and there were no reports of any injuries to passengers or crew. The flight crew had performed emergency procedures after oxygen masks were deployed.
Read more about preliminary reports on possible causes here
Read more of the latest development here
suspected cause is an oxygen tank that exploded. What is your view?
By: omyteacher on July 28, 2008
at 2:31 pm
Possibility of oxygen tank explosion is pretty high judging by the location of the hole. B747 has 13 oxygen tanks located on the right hand side of the main cargo hold.
For an oxygen tank explosion, it is not common. However, dirt and oil can easily seep into the connection between the bottle and pipes which can result in an explosion.
By: koolabee on July 28, 2008
at 2:42 pm