Tractor, hail damage new Qantas jet
Sun "Sunday Telegraph"
Tractor, hail damage new Qantas jet
January 11, 2004
A NEW $250 million Qantas jet has undergone thousands of dollars worth of emergency repairs after it was hit by a tractor before being struck by hail while enroute from Los Angeles.
The Boeing 747 400ER is one of six of the new extended range planes Qantas added to its fleet a year ago for international long-haul flights.
On December 2, the plane sustained damage to an engine thrust reverser after a tow tractor crashed into it while on the ground at Sydney's Kingsford-Smith Airport.
A Qantas spokesman said the driver of the tractor suffered minor injuries.
The aircraft was returned to service on December 18.
Just over a week later, the plane was caught in a hail storm while enroute from Los Angeles to Melbourne.
The plane's nose cone and part of its fuselage was damaged in the storm.
A Qantas spokesman said the plane had since resumed service. "The engine itself was not damaged," he said.
The Sunday Telegraph
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