Stricken jumbo's history of trouble

THE Qantas plane forced to make an emergency landing yesterday after a massive hole tore through its side had been plagued by a history of corrosion.

Engineers discovered a large amount of corrosion in the Qantas jumbo during a major refurbishment earlier this year.

The 17-year-old Boeing 747 received a completely new interior at Victoria's Avalon airport in March.

Aviation sources last night revealed aircraft engineers had noted a "lot" of corrosion during the refit.

Qantas Flight 30 from London to Melbourne had left its Hong Kong airport stopover at 9am local time (11am Hobart) when a loud explosion ripped through the plane's underside, tearing the massive hole.

Terrified passengers last night told of how debris – including bits of wood – flew through the first-class cabin and the oxygen masks dropped.

Experts last night said the hole – measuring about 2m by 4m – must have been caused either by fatigue, an internal explosion or a combination of both.

Any breach of an aircraft's skin above 10,000 feet can lead to a loud explosion, rapid de-pressurisation and immediate loss of cabin air pressure.

The plane, which was travelling at 29,000 feet, lost pressure and dipped 20,000 feet before making an emergency landing at Manila airport.

The damage occurred at a point called the wing root fairing, close to where the plane's highly explosive oxygen bottles are stored.

Australian investigators were last night travelling to Manila to inspect the damaged plane.

Aviation experts said investigators would also closely examine the maintenance regime of the ageing Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which was registered in 1991.

They would also focus on what happened at Hong Kong airport before the flight departed for Melbourne.

"The aircraft are getting a bit old and the engineers have been on strike so they might be flying with lower maintenance standards," one insider said.

When asked if terrorism and explosives could have been involved, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman said that would be "an aspect of the investigation".

However, he stressed that the drama was being treated as an air safety incident.

Passengers have hailed their cool-headed pilot as a hero after the emergency landing.

Melbourne woman June Kane said she feared for her life after a loud explosion was followed by debris flying around the cabin and oxygen masks dropping.

"The moment it happened I thought we were going to plunge to our deaths. There was an incredible boom," Dr Kane said.

"Everyone thought the plane would disintegrate. Baggage was flying out.

"It was absolutely terrifying but I have to say everyone was very calm."

Also on board was Brendan McClements, Victorian Major Events Company chief executive, who said passengers had been full of praise for the captain and his 18 crew members.

"The crew were terrific they did a great job," he said.

"Everyone gave them a round of applause as we landed."

Government spokespeople played down the dramatic incident and none of the national counter-terrorism plans were even triggered by the terrifying event.

The cause of the explosion is yet to be determined but Qantas pilots last night expressed their fears the safety incident was a result of poor maintenance checks done overseas.

A senior Qantas pilot said yesterday's mid-air calamity could have been the result of the company's outsourcing of maintenance to Malayasia.

"This could well be the direct result of Qantas having stand-in engineers, or from outsourcing maintenance to Malaysia," he said.

"It has been talked about a lot here and we have been told to be extra vigilant when you walk around the aircraft.

"With Qantas outsourcing maintenance to Malaysia, it is certainly worrying a lot of us pilots.

"There has been aircraft come back with dodgy staples to secure wiring."

Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon confirmed the flight had "a hole in its fuselage" and was being inspected.

"The flight, which originated in London, landed in Manila about 11.15am local time," Mr Dixon said.

"All 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked normally and there were no reports of any injuries to passengers or crew."

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