A passenger on a flight operated by Virgin Australia partner Link Airways has described the mayhem that erupted when a forgotten propeller strap penetrated the fuselage of their aircraft as it took off from Canberra.
Ashleigh Atkinson was in row six of the flight to Sydney and said just as the Saab 340 was about to take off, a woman screamed, and the front row was showered with debris.
“It was a massive explosion and my husband could see there was a hole in the plane,” Ms Atkinson said.
“The flight attendant was trying to calm the woman down and saying ‘we need to wait until we’re at 1000 feet to tell the pilot’.”
A passenger on board a Link Airways flight from Canberra on Thursday took pictures of the incident, which resulted in a ratchet strap penetrating the cabin fuselage.Ms Atkinson said the woman was hit in the face by the debris and another was hit in the leg, while a flight attendant was also struck.
“When we got off the plane there was no support, nothing,” she said.
“Then I saw Virgin Australia’s (media) statement saying everything was fine. We all felt gaslit by that.”
It’s understood a ratchet strap used to secure a propeller on a Link Airways’ Saab 340 aircraft overnight was not removed before the 8.05am flight to Sydney.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said when the propellers started turning, the strap struck the fuselage of the aircraft.
The Link Airways’ aircraft returned to Canberra Airport after a ratchet strap penetrated the fuselage, showering passengers with debris.ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said they considered the incident to be serious.................